Rich Breske

Rich grew up on Chicago’s south side and attended Marist High School, where he was an active member and drum major of the school’s marching band. He attended Elmhurst College (University), receiving a degree in marketing and music-business. His early career included time at the Chicago Symphony and Ravinia Festival organizations, as well as classes at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Rich’s career has been dedicated to music education. He has worked closely with educators, professionals, retail businesses and corporations. He has established key education partnerships and has served on the board of directors for several non-profit education organizations. He has provided executive planning and marketing acumen for 21st century companies through Strategic Marketing Management, LLC since 2011. Prior to opening his own firm, he served in key management roles at KHS America, Inc., the Conn-Selmer division of Steinway & Sons, Inc., and United Musical Instruments, all worldwide manufacturers and distributors. He served in the management of the SMART Foundation which provided programs and advocacy support for arts education. He has also authored several publications focused on the arts and education and has served on the boards of non-profit music education organizations.