BIOGRAPHY ...

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Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, George is growing up in a music oriented
family. At the age of five he starts piano-lessons with his mother. Finishing school,
he joins the University of Denver and graduates in graphic arts design and music
(piano & contrabass).

Thereafter, he is stationed three years in Heidelberg, Germany with the 7th Army
Soldiers Chorus as pianist. After the military service, he stays in Germany, which
becomes his second home.

After having a short interlude in the world of fashion, he returns to music and
auditions in 1972 with the Stuttgart Ballet, where John Cranko hires him as
rehearsal pianist. George maintains that job until 2013.

In addition to his musical duties he has the opportunity to present choreographies
with the Noverre Gesellschaft. He assists with many new productions with the
Stuttgart Ballet and even has special roles created for him in ballets from Haydée,
Neumeier and Béjart, gaining stage aptitude.

The Stuttgart Music scene has also given him the opportunity to sing and perform
in the entertainment branches following in the footsteps of his family tradition.
He gains overwhelming popularity through his legendary performances in George's
Christmas Party in the Stuttgart New Castle for 25 years, and his Christmas concerts
in the Wilhelma Theatre the past 15 years. He prefers playing his own arrangements
of American evergreens.

His trio still performs regularly in Logo Bistro in Stuttgart.

2015/16 he is guesting as pianist with the Gärtnerplatz Theatre in Munich,
and in Theaterhaus Stuttgart in Egon Madsen's production Greyhounds.

George Bailey and Mark McClain met at the Stuttgart Ballet, where they
worked many years together.

In that time George created for Mark and Michael McClain the Ballet "Brother"
and composed later the music for a pas de deux, choreographed by Mark;
both presented at the Noverre Gesellschaft.

Beside the theater George and Mark appeared together for many years on
stage in the legendary George's Christmas Party in the New Castle in Stuttgart.
Decades of cooperation in artistic respect, and harmony shared throughout
their friendship.


THE PIANIST AS A "SERVANT"

The gift on becoming a rehearsal pianist was not laid in my cradle.
"Stunde" (class), training, stretching, rehearsals, warming up … everything
contributing to the quest of looking good on stage….

How much freedom does the "servant" have? That is the theme for the great
debate of art, for style, and epic change. Although, it is a very relevant theme,
continual stability daily in the ballet room. "Play what the dancers like, which
increases the atmosphere"?

If that would be so easy in the "Stunde". Just to have a brief look into the
beginning of my responsibilit
ies. What is the general mood this morning?
What is the ballet masters' favorite music? What do individual dancers
prefer to hear? Are the tempos right? Do they fit to the exercise?
Is someone dancing off the music? Does someone have birthday today?
Don't forget! We always have time for that!

Little things can increase or destroy the atmosphere. Psychology is required.
Music has endless power! It's not easy, all the questions, observations,
yesterday's moods that suddenly fall on the ballet pianist shoulders, with a few
measures of music to smooth out towards the final goal … A successful class.
I was always interested in combining classical and modern, and occasionally
throwing in something from the "charts", something for everybody. When the
dancers are pleased, the stage burns with exuberant energy. O yes, the beat
has to be right, the rhythm, and you must "count".