Tune in for an online lecture with exhibition co-curator Sarah Suhadolnik as she dives into the history of public access to Iowa orchestras. Please register in advance to receive the webinar link. All are welcome to attend this free event.
About the lecture:
Historically, public radio and television have played an important role in connecting Iowans across the state with the music of James Dixon’s orchestras. Through listener/viewer correspondence from the James Dixon Papers at the University of Iowa Libraries, this talk examines the design and impact of such programming as an extension of Dixon’s philosophical commitment to the Western Art Music tradition as public art that should be accessible to all Iowans.
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.