Biography

John Dodson

Conductor

Music Director of the Adrian Symphony in Michigan, John Dodson conducts a twelve concert season of classical, pops, run outs, casual classics, family and education concerts. After the final concert of his inaugural season, Arlene Bachanov of The Daily Telegram remarked, "It would be an understatement to say this has been quite a year for the Adrian Symphony Orchestra. It introduced a superb new music director who has been a terrific addition to the community. It took a huge risk on a brand-new Casual Classics series that turned out to be both wildly popular and a great way to fill a musical need. And, thanks to its new conductor and a refocusing of its repertoire, it infused its concerts with a whole new enthusiasm and spirit."Within John Dodson's first three years in Adrian the season grew from 9 to 12 programs, the concert hall was renovated, a multi-year giving society was established and much of the budget deficit eliminated. The orchestra has featured such soloists as soprano Barbara Quintiliani, cellist Suren Bagratuni, Naumburg winners and the von Trapp family singers. This past season the orchestra released its first professionally produced recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons with violinist Janet Sung.

Mr. Dodson was formerly Music Director of the Bryan Symphony in Tennessee, an orchestra of players drawn primarily from the Nashville and Knoxville Symphonies and featuring soloists from the New York Philharmonic. During his tenure the Symphony was twice named a winner of the Sally Parker Education Award, presented by the American Symphony Orchestra League. As the founding Music Director of Orchestra New York, Mr. Dodson's concerts with that ensemble included performances in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall and Saint Luke's Church where the orchestra was in residence. He has guest conducted throughout America and Europe, working with such orchestras as the Rochester and Evansville Philharmonics, the Tucson Symphony, and the Budapest Philharmonic. He served as cover conductor for the Saint Louis Symphony, returned to the Rochester Philharmonic to lead a pops concert, and was a guest conductor for the Colorado Symphony, the Albany Symphony in Georgia, and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. In 1998 he made his acclaimed Mexican debut conducting the Monterrey Symphony, and returned in 1999. That season he led the National Philharmonic Orchestra in Tomsk, Russia in two programs entitled "An Opening to America" featuring several Russian premieres of American works. In 2000 he returned to Russia to conduct the orchestras of Irkutsk and Omsk, and to record a compact disc with Omsk. He has returned to Omsk on three occasions and twice appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra of Bashkortostan in Ufa, with his debut concert broadcast live on Bashkortostan Television. After his appearance in Poland with the Bialystok Philharmonic the Gazeta Wyborcza review stated, "This expressive conception was so convincing that it drew the listeners completely into the course of the work."Last summer he made his debut with the National Symphony of the Dominican Republic, and last season he led two performances as conductor for the Ballet Theatre of Toledo. This season he led the Southwest Michigan Symphony in a pops concrt.

Mr. Dodson was previously Music Director of the Philharmonia Orchestra of Tucson. He founded the Coronado Music Festival, which featured soloists from the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra performing with members of regional and metropolitan orchestras from across the country.

Mr. Dodson holds a Master's of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Peabody Conservatory where he studied under Frederik Prausnitz. A Conducting Fellow at the Aspen Music School, he studied with Paul Vermel and has participated in masterclasses and workshops under Sergiu Comissiona, Michael Charry, Elizabeth Green and Daniel Lewis.

John Dodson's performances have met with critical and public acclaim: The New York Times praised his "sharp rendition of the Serenade" by Vincent Persichetti. After his European debut with the Budapest Philharmonic , the Budapest Musical Chronicle wrote, "Dodson prepared our Philharmonic with incredible care. This intensive preparation resulted in an evocative and truly expressive performance...a truly great popular success...'