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, Director of Bands and Chair of the Department of Music at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.  He has taught in public schools in New York state and in Texas as well as at the University of North Texas and Southern Methodist University. 

He 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, Brazil and Argentina.  He maintains a busy conducting schedule 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, he regularly works with professional orchestras and bands, as well as festival groups of all ages.  George has served as the Artistic Director of the international music festival, “bristolive!” which is held in Bristol, England.  He is currently the Artistic Director of “Premiering Sydney”, which is held in the famed Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia as well as “Premiering Beijing” in China and “Premiering London” in England. George also serves as Artistic Advisor for Kingsway International.

Dr. George has led his ensembles to performances at major music conferences including those for the Minnesota Music Educators Association, the College Band Directors National Association and the Music Educators National Association.  He has led his ensembles on performance tours throughout the United States and abroad, having performed in such venues as Eugene Goosens Hall, Sydney Opera House and Town Hall (Australia), in the national theatres of Mexico, Cuba and Costa Rica and in some of the finest concert halls in Japan and China.  Live national radio broadcasts include appearances on National Public Radio (US), IMER (National Mexican Radio) and the Australia Broadcast Company.   Under his direction, the UST Symphonic Wind Ensemble appears on the Innova record label.

Active as a clinician and lecturer, Dr. George regularly appears at music conferences speaking on subjects of conducting pedagogy, the performance of wind literature and commissioning new music, the latter most recently at the 2007 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic.

His credits of commissioned works by prolific national and international composers number over fifty.  Included among the composers commissioned are William Banfield, Norman Bolter, Andrew Boysen (5), James Callahan, Loris Chobanian, Nigel Clarke (3), Roger Cichy (3), Randall Davidson, Nicholas D'Angelo, Martin Ellerby (3), Aldo Forte, Cary John Franklin, John Gibson (2), David Gillingham, Joan Griffith, Kenneth Hesketh, Ralph Hultgren (4), Stephen Jones, Timothy Mahr, Dale McGowan, Luis Nani, Hudson Nogueira, Rolf Rudin, Lawrence Siegel, Dean Sorenson(3), Philip Spark, Frank Ticheli, Kit Turnbull and Guy Woolfenden.  Consortium commissions include music by Warren Benson, Carol Burnett, Mary Ellen Childs, Todd Coleman, Adam Gorb, Daniel Kallman (3), David Maslanka, Clark McAllister and Jack Stamp.

A participating member in several professional scholarly organizations, he is Past President of the College Band Directors National Association North Central Conference and was on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Band Directors Association.  He is an elected member of two honorary fraternities, Pi Kappa Lambda and Phi Beta Mu.  He is also an active member of the Conductor's Guild, American Composers Forum, National Band Association, Music Educators National Conference, Minnesota Music Educators Association, and the World Associat