Her Story
About Rosemary
Rosemary George is an accomplished international singer, performer, lecturer, and music educator with a 40 plus -year career in the performing arts and approximately 30 years as a college educator within the City University of New York. She currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Music and has dedicated much of her career to helping students understand music not only as an art form but also as a connection between history, culture, performance, and human experience. Her performing career has included classical opera, jazz, popular music, cabaret, and musical theater, with performances throughout the United States and internationally. George began her professional journey in classical music before expanding her repertoire into popular music. Her extensive performance history includes North American tours with Columbia Artists, performances at Lincoln Center, and international appearances in London, Hong Kong, Jordan, and Scotland. Among her notable projects is her album: Stupid Cupid: The Girl Group Era, which explores music from the 1950s and 1960s and was presented at major venues including Leicester Square Theatre in London and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She is also known for her acclaimed digital lecture/Master Class, 'Hiding Behind the Mask: Jesters, Jokers, and Clowns', which has been presented at international festivals and combines performance, theater, music, history, and cultural reflection. This masterclass is up yearlong at C Arts (Edinburgh). Alongside her performance career, George has built a lasting legacy as an educator and mentor. She emphasizes the importance of exposing students to classical music and giving them the historical and cultural reference points needed to understand contemporary genres. She continually refreshes her lectures to connect music history with current events and encourages students from diverse cultural backgrounds to recognize music as a universal language. Her professional philosophy is grounded in perseverance, self-belief, resilience, continuous learning, and the conviction that artists should remain willing to evolve, accept criticism, and continue opening new doors throughout their careers.
C ARTS | C venues | C digital
Hiding Behind the Mask: Jesters, Jokers, and Clowns (by Rosemary George) A master class/lecture.
C ARTS booking link (year-round) res.CtheArts.com/event/34:3488
For further information, images and interview availability please contact: Rosemary George at Rosemary George on +1 917 859 4840 or rosemarygeorge@netscape.net, or the C ARTS press office on press@cvenues.com
For review tickets please contact the C ARTS press office on press@cvenues.com
This lecture has been featured in many world festivals, but for limited time. It is up permanently at C Arts.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rosemary
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to perseverance, resilience, continuous improvement, and the support of my family, teachers, mentors, and collaborators. There have been many opportunities that did not work out as expected, but I learned to keep going, believe in myself, and treat setbacks as part of the journey rather than a reason to quit. My family, particularly my parents and mother, who was also a singer, consistently supported me and attended my performances, while my teachers and collaborators helped me continue developing as an artist. I have learned that you have to keep improving, be willing to accept criticism, and be resilient enough to get back up and continue. I was also fortunate to have one of New York's top vocal teachers, Daniel Ferro (Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music).
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of the most important pieces of advice I received came from my voice teacher, Daniel Ferro (Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music) who encouraged me to believe that I was too talented to give up. He guided me through an important change in my vocal direction and helped me recognize the possibilities in my career. My mother also gave me memorable advice when I left for New York. I had been a “big fish in a small pond,” and I was entering a much larger world where I needed to listen, learn, and absorb everything I could. Those lessons taught me to remain humble, stay open to learning, and never stop believing in my abilities.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to persevere, believe in yourself, and be prepared before you step into an opportunity. You have to be willing to receive criticism, learn from it, and use it to improve rather than allowing disappointment to define you. I also encourage young performers to explore different aspects of the field instead of assuming they must follow one narrow path; performance, teaching, theater, lectures, and other creative avenues can all become meaningful parts of a career. Most importantly, keep learning, stay resilient, and be willing to open your own doors when an opportunity does not immediately present itself.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the greatest challenges in the performing arts is maintaining sustainable opportunities for artists while navigating a field in which only a small number of performers reach the very top. At the same time, I see tremendous opportunities in music education, teaching, lectures, master classes, and interdisciplinary performance. I believe there is a growing need to reconnect younger generations with music history and expose them to classical, popular, and culturally diverse forms of music. I remain committed to continuing my work as a professor while performing and developing educational programs that make music accessible, relevant, and meaningful. I gain a lot of joy performing for appreciative audiences and feel that same spark while sharing ideas with my students.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are connection, resilience, lifelong learning, and authenticity. Dare to be different! Music is a universal language that can bring people and cultures together while creating a bridge between fantasy and reality. Teaching and performing are meaningful to me because they allow me to share knowledge, encourage curiosity, and help others see the historical and cultural connections within music and all of life's disciplines. I also believe in creating an environment where students feel welcomed, supported, and encouraged to learn, think, and grow.
Please visit Rosemary's Mask lecture: Hiding Behind the Mask: Jesters, Jokers, and Clowns on digital demand at C Arts (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) year-round:
LISTINGS INFORMATION
C ARTS | C venues | C digital
C ARTS booking link (year-round) res.CtheArts.com/event/34:3488
For further information, images and interview availability please contact: Rosemary George at Rosemary George on +1 917 859 4840 or rosemarygeorge@netscape.net, or the C ARTS press office on press@cvenues.com
For review tickets please contact the C ARTS press office on press@cvenues.com
Purchase a ticket and see why reviewers from Scotland, Brighton, Melbourne, New Zealand and Philly are enthralled with this master class.
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