Join exhibition co-curator Sarah Suhadolnik for an online lecture as she explores James Dixon's time in the U.S. Army, where he developed both his signature fortitude and his technique for conducting opera. Please register in advance to receive the webinar link. All are welcome to attend this free event.

About the lecture:
James Dixon toured Germany with the U.S. Seventh Army Symphony in the 1950s, an experience that launched his professional career as a conductor. Learn about the fly-by-night auditions and other such herculean efforts that were required to form the U.S. Seventh Army Symphony and to stage an immensely popular German tour of operas by Gian Carlo Menotti (including The Old Maid and the Thief). Together, we will look at the photos, press clippings, and other military mementos in the new James Dixon Papers housed in the University of Iowa Libraries and consider the potential long-term impact of these formative experiences on the distinguished conductor.

About the speaker:
Sarah Suhadolnik is a scholar and teacher of American music, with special interests in jazz and popular music. Much of her research centers around overlapping ideas of music and place—particularly those that highlight the ways in which public perceptions of dynamic musical landmarks, such as New Orleans, are shaped by their popular musical representation. Interested in all manner of “musical place,” she has also investigated the legal, technical, and social apparatuses that support “music sharing” activities in digital music environments. Suhadolnik received her PhD from the University of Michigan. She is an assistant professor of instruction at the University of Iowa School of Music.

About the exhibition:
An Iowa native and a Hawkeye, conductor James Dixon (1928–2007) was instrumental in building orchestras at the University of Iowa, in the Midwest, and abroad. Through a look at Dixon’s adventurous international career, this exhibition provides a “behind the podium” look at how orchestras of all sizes connect with their communities and become crucial to sustaining them.

Co-curated by Sarah Suhadolnik and Katie Buehner, Orchestrating Community: The Public Service of Iowa Conductor James Dixon uses materials from Special Collections and Archives and the Rita Benton Music Library at the University of Iowa Libraries to share the important work of orchestras through the lens of Dixon’s life.