The Rotary Club of Skokie Valley’s Speaker on February 9, 2021 was Mark George, President and CEO of the Music Institute of Chicago1702 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, IL  60201.

 

Mark has enjoyed a unique career making music and connecting people of all kinds to the performing arts. In 2011, the Chicago Tribune named him Chicagoan of the Year in classical music. In this same period, Dr. George served as national Board Chair for the Suzuki Association of the Americas. He is currently a Trustee for the Solti Foundation US, and the Billy Strayhorn Foundation.

 

A highly regarded pianist, he has performed and recorded extensively throughout the United States.  Dr. George has held faculty positions at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Case Western Reserve University, and the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music

 

Dr. George previously served as director of the Hartt School Community Division and, director of distance learning at the Cleveland Institute of Music.  His work as an interdisciplinary curriculum developer and consultant has rendered the arts and humanities more accessible to diverse communities hungry for knowledge. He also led the resurgence of the 2006 Grammy Award winning Cleveland Chamber Symphony. His board level leadership, striking performances as a pianist, and inventive programming ideas re-established the ensemble as a major force in contemporary music.

 

Mark shared a video of a promising violin student. They are hosting a virtual program in the spring that he is inviting club members to attend.