Dodson Music Series
The Dodson Music Series began in 1999 as the Friday Noon Hours at Main concert series. Erika Switzer, a graduate student in the UBC School of Music, met with Suzanne Dodson, a librarian who was the UBC Library Facilities Manager at the time. Erika’s goal, at the suggestion of her teachers, was to give students an opportunity to perform for a new audience in a new setting, and to bring a new audience to the performances that take place in the School of Music.
The newly-renovated Suzanne Cates Dodson and Earl D. Dodson Room was named after the Dodsons in honour of their many contributions to the Library over the years. The room had become a beautiful space in which to hold concerts; UBC Plant Operations craftsmen had worked very hard to restore the room to its original 1925 splendour. The very first concert took place on March 26, 1999, and Erika directed the first concert season in the 1999-2000 school year. Ann Turner was the liaison librarian from Main Library.
The second and third seasons were directed by Karen Lee-Morlang, with Kirsten Walsh taking over as Library liaison in 2001, and the fourth to sixth seasons were directed by Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa. The series became known as Music at Main in 2002.
The concert series was on hiatus during Irving K. Barber Learning Centre construction from 2005-2008. It resumed under the new name of the Dodson Music Series in the fall of 2008, with co-directors Fiona Chow and David Bergeron. Fiona Chow directed the 8th season, and Leah Giselle Field took over with the 2010-2011 season.
The Dodson Music Series continues to offer excellent concerts, performed at very high standards by UBC Music students, and students enjoy the opportunity to perform for a different audience in this beautiful setting.
2011/2012 Schedule of Dodson Music Series Performances
October 21, 2011 — A Schubertiade: UBC Music students present the music of Franz Schubert in a salon-style program
November 4, 2011 — Je me souviens: Music of Wartime, remembrance, and peace
January 27, 2012 — “Entartete Musik”: UBC Music students present music suppressed under Nazism
March 2, 2012 — Be not afeard; The isle is full of noises: music inspired by Shakespeare’s words
For more information about this series, please contact Head librarian, Music Library, Kirsten Walsh
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