George Emlen, conductor emeritus of the Mount Desert Summer Chorale, passed away in April. George conducted the Mount Desert Summer Chorale from 1982 - 1999 and served as an honorary board member until his death.

George was a conductor, composer, arranger, songleader, and music educator in Maine and Massachusetts. For 32 years, he was the music director of Revels, a Boston-based national performing arts organization best known for its annual performances of The Christmas Revels, a rich and joyful celebration of the winter solstice.

A graduate of Dartmouth College, George earned an advanced degree in choral conducting at the New England Conservatory. In Maine, he founded and conducted the Acadia Choral Society, while also conducting the Oratorio Chorale and the Mount Desert Summer Chorale. George served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory, where he directed the Conservatory Camerata; Lesley University in the Creative Arts in Learning program; the College of the Atlantic, and the University of Maine. He also taught and conducted at Noble and Greenough School and was music director at the Putney School. He also taught a leadership course ("Conducting Your Chorus") at the Harvard Kennedy School for senior executives in state and local public office.
 

Lawson-Gould, Thorpe, Lorenz/Sacred Music Press, and Redwing Press publish George's compositions and arrangements.

The Mount Desert Summer Chorale mourns George's passing and sends our sincerest condolences to his wife, Jan, his children Hannah and Sasho, and grandchildren Juniper, Marigold, and Hazel.