James Dixon (April 26, 1929 – April 3, 2007) was an

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

conductor and music educator in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. During his career he was principally associated with the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.

Early life

James Allen Dixon was born in

Estherville, Iowa Estherville is a city in Emmet County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,904 in the 2020 census, a decline from 6,656 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Emmet County. History Emmet County was initially created by an act of th ...

and raised and educated in

Guthrie Center, Iowa Guthrie Center is a city in Guthrie County, Iowa, United States, along the Raccoon River, South Raccoon River. The population was 1,593 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Guthrie County, Iowa, Guthr ...

. He started working at the age of 11 as a shoe shine boy at a barber shop. He went on to work in a bakery, followed by a year serving as the part owner of a small farm. He conducted his first orchestra on May 8, 1945 in Guthrie Center - the day

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

surrendered, ending

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in Europe. The orchestra's conductor was out of town and Dixon volunteered to direct the impromptu concert. Dixon studied conducting at the

where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1952 and a master's degree in 1956. Between his undergraduate and graduate education, he served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

, where he conducted the

Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra The Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra was the only symphonic orchestral ensemble ever created under the supervision of the United States Army. Founded by the composer Samuel Adler, its members participated in the cultural diplomacy initiatives of ...

in Germany. He studied for nine years under his mentor, the distinguished Greek conductor, pianist, and composer

Dimitris Mitropoulos Dimitri Mitropoulos ( el, Δημήτρης Μητρόπουλος; The dates 18 February 1896 and 1 March 1896 both appear in the literature. Many of Mitropoulos's early interviews and program notes gave 18 February. In his later interviews, howe ...

. Mitropoulos made Dixon his heir and left him his scores.

Career

Dixon first conducted the University of Iowa Symphony when he was a graduate student. After he received his master's degree he taught at the New England Conservatory. He conducted NEC's orchestra for 20 concerts during the 1959-1960 and the 1960-1961 seasons. Dixon then served as the assistant conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra for a year before returning to the University of Iowa in 1962. He taught conducting and was the conductor of the University of Iowa Symphony. Dixon commissioned a symphony from

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his dystopian satire ''A Clockwork ...

, which was completed without payment. Burgess' Symphony No. 3 in C premiered in Iowa City on October 22, 1975. The symphony became the first public performance of the orchestral work of Burgess, and it significantly increased his composing activity. During Dixon's tenure at Iowa, the

International Society for Contemporary Music The International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) is a music organization that promotes contemporary classical music. The organization was established in Salzburg in 1922 as Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik (IGNM) following th ...

met for the first time in the United States (in 1976). The University of Iowa Symphony was one of three American orchestras chosen to perform an extensive program of new works. In 1965 James Dixon replaced Charles Gigante as the music director and conductor of the Tri-City Symphony Orchestra in Davenport, Iowa. It was renamed the Quad City Symphony while he was its music director. During his 29-year tenure with the orchestra he was credited with building the QCSO into “an ensemble of musical distinction that is respected for the innovation of its programming and artistic integrity.” He also expanded the number of modern works into the orchestra's repertoire.

Later life and death

Dixon retired from the Quad City Symphony in 1994. Three years later, he retired as the Philip Greeley Clapp/Carver Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of Iowa. During his career he served as a mentor to more than 30 conducting students and conducted the world premieres of approximately 40 new works. Dixon led the Quad City Symphony for the last time in 2000. He died in

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the tim ...

at the age of 77 from complications from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

and influenza.

Recognition

* Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Medal, 1955 *Mahler Medal of Honor, The Bruckner Society of America, 1962 * Laurel Leaf Award, 1978 *

Ditson Conductor's Award The Ditson Conductor's Award, established in 1945, is the oldest award honoring conductors for their commitment to the performance of American music. The US$5,000 purse is endowed by the Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University, increased in ...

, 1980 *UIAA Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award, 2005 *

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

s: ** Augustana College ** St. Ambrose University

Partial discography

James Dixon conducted the orchestra on the following recordings: *''New music from the University of Iowa'' (University of Iowa, 1983) *''Antiphony IX'' ( Music & Arts, 1994) *''Wuorinen: Music of Two Decades, Vol. 2'' (Music & Arts, 1994) *''Music of Charles Wuorinen: Two-Part Symphony / Chamber Concerto for Flute & Ten Players / Chamber Concerto for Tuba / Piano Concerto'' ( Composers Recordings, 1997) *''Quad City Symphony Orchestra'' (Disc Makers, 2001)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, James Allen 1929 births 2007 deaths People from Estherville, Iowa Musicians from Iowa City, Iowa American male conductors (music) American music educators University of Iowa alumni New England Conservatory faculty University of Iowa faculty People from Guthrie Center, Iowa Musicians from Iowa 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians