Matthew J. George holds a D.M.A. degree in conducting from the University of North Texas, a M.M. degree in music education from Southern Methodist University, and a B.M. degree in music education and trumpet performance from Ithaca College. Dr. George is Professor of Music, John Ireland Distinguished Professor, Director of Bands and Orchestra and Chair of the Department of Music at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Recently, he was named the 2013-14 Professor of the Year at UST. In addition, he has served as consultant, guest lecturer and conductor for the Music Education Center at Xi’an Jiaotong University in Xi’an, China. He has taught in public schools in New York and in Texas as well as at the University of North Texas and Southern Methodist University. Dr. George is active as a conductor and clinician/lecturer which have taken him across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, continental Europe, Ireland and the UK, Australia, Japan, China, Thailand, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and India. He maintains a busy schedule as a conductor in both professional and educational settings, and is currently Music Director of Grand Symphonic Winds. He is also the founder and past Music Director of the Banda Sinfonica at the Escuela Nacional de Musica in Mexico City, Mexico. Appearing as a guest conductor throughout the world, he regularly works with professional orchestras and bands as well as festival groups of all ages. Some such groups include the Brazilian Wind Orchestra, The São Paulo State Band, Orquesta Ouro Preto (Brazil), Orquesta Sinfónica de Guanajuato (Mexico), the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain, Queensland Conservatorium Wind Symphony (Australia), Birmingham Symphonic Winds (UK), the Banda de Madrid, the Banda de Bilbao Musika (Spain), the National Symphony Orchestra of Paraguay, and the Band of the People’s Liberation Army (China). George has served as the Artistic Director of several international music festivals, including events held in England, Australia and China in such prestigious venues as the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, the Oriental Arts Center in Shanghai and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. Dr. George regularly leads his ensembles to performances at major music conferences including those for the Minnesota Music Educators Association, the College Band Directors National Association, the Music Educators National Association and The Midwest Clinic. He has led his ensembles on performance tours throughout the United States and abroad, having performed in such venues as the Sydney Opera House (Australia), in the National Theatres of Mexico, Cuba and Costa Rica, The National Center of Performing Arts (The “Egg”) in China as well as some of the finest concert halls in Japan and Italy. Live national radio broadcasts include appearances on National Public Radio (US), IMER (National Mexican Radio) and the Australia Broadcast Company. His ensembles have also appeared on PBS television in the United States. Under his direction, the UST Symphonic Wind Ensemble appears on the innova record label, distributed by Naxos with six compact discs - Road to the Stars, Out of Nowhere, From All Sides, Persistence (How Very Close, Love and Hope, Duende).