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Marion Russell Dickson is nationally known for her beautiful, clear, and florid light-lyric soprano, with which she combines her joy for life and love during performances. Public performances as a soloist across the country include locations such as Houston, Texas, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Rochester, New York, Charleston, West Virginia, Princeton, New Jersey, and New York City. Currently, Marion Dickson is a Guest Artist with New York City based Distinguished Concerts International, New York, and in March of 2009, premiered an American Song Recital as part of their Artists Series in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
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Ms. Dickson enjoys performing soloist works in oratorios, operas, and recital settings. Her experiences as a soloist include, but are not limited, to Haydn’s The Creation, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Cantata No. 140, Wachet Auf, Mozart’s Requiem, Mozart’s Missa Brevis, Handel’s Messiah, DuBois’ The Seven Last Words of Christ, and Mozart’s Vesperare solennes de confessore. A lover of sacred music, Ms. Dickson participated in performing a Concert of Sacred Music in the mesmerizing Chapel of St. Basil at the University of St. Thomas, in Houston, Texas.
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Operatic and light opera appearances include the title role in the Eastman Opera Theatre’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience, in which Opera News highlighted Marion Russell Dickson as one of four standout performers, noting: "Marion Russell’s clarion Patience..." She also portrayed Céile in Signor Deluso with Eastman Opera Theatre, Jennie in Opera Rochester's production of Kurt Weill's Down in the Valley, as well as singing Lakmé in the famous duet by Delibes under conductor David Gilbert with the Eastman Philharmonia. Ms. Dickson is currently looking forward to performances with the Sugarland Opera, in Houston, Texas, in their 2009-2010 Season.
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The Song Recital setting is close to Ms. Dickson’s heart, having worked this repertoire with coaches such as Dalton Baldwin, Thomas Jaber, Benton Hess, Russell Miller, J.J. Penna, Roger Keele, and others. In April 2009, through a collaborative effort with local Houston organizations, Ms. Dickson sang on a Master Class for coach and pianist John Wustman. Ms. Dickson has also performed in Master Classes held by clinicians such as Carol Webber, Joyce Farwell, Zehava Gal, Dalton Baldwin, and J. J. Penna.
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Ms. Dickson also enjoys collaborating with contemporary composers. She is currently collaborating with composer Richard Faith, and will co-present an Artist-in-Residence Lecture Recital for Texoma NATS in November, 2009, with Mr. Faith participating. Composer, conductor, and collaborative artist Roger Keele has also collaborated with Ms. Dickson, and recently dedicated a song to her in his upcoming publications through Classical Vocal Reprints. Ms. Dickson traveled to New York City to work with composer Robert Baksa on his settings of Sara Teasdale poems, which resulted in a private premier of these works for the composer. In May 2007 she performed the Houston Premiere of Chasms, a cycle of nine songs composed for her by composer Randolph L. Partain. Ms. Dickson also has communicated with composer Lori Laitman, whose Emily Dickinson songs Ms. Dickson performed at the Carnegie Recital. Ms. Laitman said of Ms. Dicksons’s performance of her work “…you and Shannon (Hesse) performed the set beautifully. You really captured the essence of each song, and the tempos (which are often the hardest thing to grasp in my music) were really wonderful...”
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Spring 2008 began Ms. Dickson's exciting appointment at the University of Saint Thomas, in the arts district of Houston. Collegiate teaching experiences for Ms. Dickson include Studio Voice, Diction, Master Classes, Opera Workshop, Art Song Literature, and other music courses at institutions such as the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, Lone Star College-Kingwood and Lone Star College–Montgomery in greater Houston, Houghton College in Houghton, New York, Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, and Eastman School of Music.
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Holding a Master of Music Degree in Performance and Literature and a Performer’s Certificate from Eastman School of Music, as well as receiving her Bachelor of Music Degree in Voice Performance from Westminster Choir College, Ms. Dickson now enjoys sharing the art of singing with the voice students in her charge. Studio standouts include a finalist in the Houston round of Classical Singer Magazine’s High School Competition, resulting in her student’s participating in the next round in New York City. Ms. Dickson’s studio has also produced winners at both the local and regional levels of National Association of Teachers of Singing.
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Ms. Dickson continues to maintain a private studio in Kingwood, where she lives with her husband, musician and educator Christopher Dickson, and their children. Marion Russell Dickson is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing since 2001 and currently serves as President for the Greater Houston Chapter of NATS.
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