George Pieterson was a Dutch classical clarinetist. Born on March 5, 1942, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Pieterson suffered from asthma as a child and began studying the clarinet at age 11 to counteract the condition. He performed as a member of the Aulos Quintet, which later expanded to form the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble. At age 18, Pieterson joined the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest in the second clarinet chair, subsequently serving as first chair with Het Gelders Orkest and principal clarinet of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1975 to 2004, he held the position of principal clarinet of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. In 1977, he co-founded the Rondom Quartet, with whom he recorded Olivier Messiaen's Quatour pour la fin du temps (1977). His other recordings include the clarinet works of Johannes Brahms, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Paul Hindemith. Additionally, the composer Theo Loevendie dedicated a clarinet concerto to him. Following a period of ill health, including muscular dystrophy, cancer, and depression, Pieterson retired from performing and died on April 24, 2016.
