Ep. 43 - Finding Your Window to Seize Opportunity - John Dickson

"It gave me some amazing opportunities, just that one phone call, that one chance. For my grad students, that's one of the things that I really try to model and mentor and teach them: you can be a fantastic musician, but if you aren't one that seizes the moment or takes the initiative, it makes a difference."John Dickson is Professor Emeritus and former Director of Choral Studies at Louisiana State University’s School of Music.  Holding the School of Music’s first Chair as the Edward G. and Catherine M. Galante Chair for Choral Music Education, he conducted the A Cappella Choir and supervised the masters and doctoral programs in choral conducting.  Recently retired after forty-four years of collegiate teaching, he continues his conducting through workshops and festivals, and as the founding artistic director and conductor of Coro Vocati, one of Atlanta’s most accomplished professional chamber choirs.  He also serves as one of the principal guest artists for KI Concerts.As a conducting pedagogue, he has presented masterclasses before the Association of British Choral Directors, the American Choral Directors Association, the Royal Northern Music Conservatory (Mancester), and the Russian State Music Conservatories of St. Petersburg and Moscow.  He has conducted festivals and workshops in England, Wales, Scotland, Finland, France, Italy, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Canada, and throughout the U. S.  For three decades his choirs have been featured at conventions of the ACDA, ABCD, Texas Music Educators Association, and the National Collegiate Choral Organization.Appointed as a Visiting Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge University in 1992, Dr. Dickson sang with Sir David Willcocks and The Bach Choir; a second post-doctoral fellowship in 1998 allowed him to serve as principal rehearsal conductor under musical director David Hill.  For his summer conducting institutes Dr. Dickson has co-directed with British friends and colleagues Stephen Cleobury, David Hill and Bob Chilcott.  He is the Founding Director of the C. S. Lewis Choral Institute, featuring a professional chorus for its triennial symposium in Oxford and Cambridge.  He holds the D.M.A. degree in choral conducting from The University of Texas, at Austin, the M.M. degree in musicology from Baylor University, and has done post-doctoral study at Cambridge University, Cambridge.You can email John at jdickson@lsu.edu.Choir Fam wants to hear from you! Check out the Minisode Intro episode from September 16, 2022, to hear how to share your story with us. Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.Podcast music from Podcast.coPhoto in episode artwork by Trace Hudson from Pexels