Georgia Markakis Mills is an American conductor recognized for her innovative programming, energized interpretations, and commanding technique to lead celebrated repertoire of the past in tandem with exhilarating new music.
Georgia has recently appeared as a cover conductor with top orchestras and presenters including the New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra at Paramount Theater. Upcoming engagements include guest conducting the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra in a full program featuring Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony.
Georgia has served as a guest conductor with leading contemporary groups including Contemporaneous, Grossman Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble, and Ensemble Signal, with whom she premiered Nico Muhly’s ballet Third Bird with the Guggenheim Museum’s “Works and Process” performing arts series, directed by Isaac Mizrahi and John Heginbotham. Previously, Georgia conducted the premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winner Julia Wolfe’s Oxygen presented by Carnegie Hall. In recent years, she has collaborated and performed with artists such as Chris Thile, George Lewis, Augusta Read Thomas, Louis Andriessen, Molly Herron, Darian Donovan Thomas, and Kate Soper. Georgia additionally served as Associate Music Director for Judd Greenstein’s world premiere opera A Marvelous Order performed by NOW Ensemble, and was a cover conductor for Dylan Mattingly’s world premiere opera Stranger Love performed by Contemporaneous. In their 2024 seasons, Georgia is scheduled to lead full programs with Alarm Will Sound and International Contemporary Ensemble.
Georgia is a doctoral candidate in Conducting at the Eastman School of Music, where she has served as Assistant Conductor of the Musica Nova Ensemble under the direction of conductor Brad Lubman since 2019. In April 2023, she delivered her doctoral lecture recital on micropolyphonic transformations in György Ligeti’s Chamber Concerto. Additionally, she has been Assistant Conductor of the Eastman Opera Theatre under direction of Timothy Long in staged productions of Kate Soper’s opera suite Here be Sirens and Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, and served as Music Director of Rochester Summer Opera’s staged production of Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus.
Georgia is a native of Bethesda, MD where she grew up studying piano, cello, voice, and ballet in the Washington, DC area. Before pursuing her doctorate, Georgia received a Master of Music degree in Conducting at Eastman, where she studied with Brad Lubman, Neil Varon, Mark Scatterday, and William Weinert. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance where she studied with Eduardus Halim and Marilyn Nonken at New York University.