George’s artistic career is an exciting and unpredictable journey — always on the fast track and often down a sidetrack as he performs and composes music that crosses genres, disciplines and, increasingly, continents.
George’s artistic curiosity and commitment to expanding his boundaries lead him down exciting new professional and personal paths. Among his current projects: Creating a soundtrack for award-winning independent Russian filmmaker Nika Belianina. Working with world-renowned musicians in Berlin to write a tango that blends jazz and classical formats. Collaborating with musicians in Mexico City to write a song cycle for the poetry of feminist Argentine poet Alfonsina Storni, his first work in Spanish. Planning his summer 2019 bike odyssey across Vietnam, where he hopes to volunteer in communities along his route.
George brings listeners along on his cross-country bike treks with his new podcast, “Tales from a Bicycle Seat.” Part artistic inquiry, part cultural exploration, “Tales from a Bicycle Seat” features interviews, anecdotes and observations from his rides across the U.S., Iceland, Sri Lanka, Canada and soon Vietnam.
This 12-part radio series is a companion to George’s first full-length musical, “Empire Builder,” featuring in-depth interviews on family, history, race and forgiveness. It originally aired on St. Cloud State University’s KVSC-FM 88.1 in early 2019. George created it with lyricist Anne Bertram to provide an over-the-shoulder look at the creation of “Empire Builder” and the personal stories that inspired their art. Listen to all 12 episodes at
What would a musical conversation between Rainer Maria Rilke and Tennessee Williams have sounded like had the two iconic writers met? That is the question George asked himself as he created “Autumn Song,” his first theatrical composition and a unique artistic interplay between 19thcentury German poet Rilke and 20thcentury American playwright Williams, who drew consolation and inspiration from Rilke’s works. This is Maurer’s biggest artistic undertaking of his 25-year career, merging poetry and music into a dramatic performance that wowed the crowds at Provincetown’s Tennessee Williams Festival and at it’s European debut in Berlin.
Pianist/interviewer extraordinaire George Maurer leads some of Minnesota’s favorite musicians through conversations and accompanies them on songs that reveal the layers of their musical lives in this series that debuted in 2015 at St. Cloud’s Pioneer Place on Fifth Theater. The setting is intimate, the stage is nearly naked, and the show is part unfiltered stories, part unembellished music. Featured guests have included vocalist Pamela McNeill, guitarist Paul “Stretch” Diethelm and actor/singer/bandmate Jeff Engholm.
George mans the piano and creates orchestral arrangements for the wildly talented and in-demand Midtown Men, featuring the four original Grammy and Tony awarded leads from Broadway’s “Jersey Boys.” The Midtown Men’s national tour has put George on stage with renowned orchestras across the country, including the Boston Pops, and earned him some face time on the “Today” show.
“Dress smart, act casual, look like you know what you are doing, and wait for somebody to count to four.” That’s the George Maurer Group’s motto, and it fits. The George Maurer Group mixes just the right proportions of refinement and relatability as they play straight-ahead jazz with their trademark lighthearted flair. Their music adds a note of elegance – and a nice dash of energy – to any event, and their repertoire of swinging classics by jazz legends packs the dance floor set after set.
With an accessible playlist and timeless sound, the musicians can provide all-ages centerpiece entertainment for a dance or quietly fill the background. They can adapt to any size room, starting with a three-piece but able to expand to an eight-piece band complete with a horn section.
A bicycle might be an unusual muse, but five cross-country odysseys on two tires and one extremely well-worn saddle inspired George Maurer’s newest artistic endeavor, multimedia storytelling.
Then again, nothing about pedaling up Pikes Peak in a snowstorm, navigating Iceland’s glaciers and geysers or sloshing through Sri Lanka’s monsoon season says “usual.”
George recently launched his “Tales From a Bicycle Seat” podcast to bring listeners along on the cultural exploration his annual epic bike journeys have evolved into. The first episode features insights and artist interviews from George’s 2018 trek through Newfoundland, and he’s gearing up for 2019’s ride up the coast of Vietnam.
