Programmatic Enhancement Funds

Private support for programmatic enhancement can be designated for needs within the School of Music that are of great personal interest to the donor. The creation of an endowed fund with a gift of $15,000 or more can provide a permanent source of income for program enhancements such as: guest artists, artists-in residence, student travel for competition purposes, ensemble travel and touring, opera production, chamber music, the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program, and various performance series and symposia, such as the Focus on Piano Literature, Cello Celebrations, and the UNCG High School Honors Jazz Band.

Anna Bell Dickieson Honors her Husband's Passion for Chamber Music

George W. Dickieson, former faculty member of the UNCG School of Music, was born on February 6, 1912 in Brooklyn, NY. His passion for music developed at an early age, and he knew by age twelve that he wanted to be a professional musician. George earned a Bachelor of Science in Music from Salem College and a Masters in Music from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, both degrees in violin performance. He also studied conducting as an experienced conductor with Eugene Ormandy and Pierre Monteux.

George joined the Woman’s College music faculty in 1938 where his responsibilities included the position of concert master of an orchestra being formed by the Dean, playing in a faculty string quartet, teaching violin, and developing the School’s fledgling instrumental program. While at Woman’s College, he established the Summer String Institute for young people that flourished for over twenty years. George became conductor of the College-Community Orchestra in 1951 and under his baton, the orchestra broadened its professional and qualified amateur base, achieving membership of the American Symphony Orchestra League. As the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, its concerts were broadcast live over UNC-TV from Aycock Auditorium, cultivating interest and support from the general community, and gradually the orchestra became the very successful, self-supporting organization it is today.

During George’s 39-year tenure at the School of Music, he instituted the first graduate degree courses, Chamber Music and Symphonic Literature, which are still in the catalogue today, in addition to teaching violin, conducting and orchestration. He was honored by Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity for his “significant and outstanding contributions to the cause of music in America.” As the years passed, he even found himself teaching the children of some of his former students. In the Greensboro cultural community, George was an organizer, board member and officer of the Greensboro Chamber Music Society and signed the charter of the Greensboro United Arts Council.

George retired from UNCG in 1979 and lived quietly with his wife Anna until his death on May 23, 2004, at Well-Spring Retirement Community in Greensboro, at the age of 92. Always the teacher, while living at Well Spring, he presented a weekly music appreciation program to interested residents for three years and maintained his passion for symphonic and chamber music throughout the remainder of his life.

Anna Bell Dickieson grew up in the shadow of Woman’s College, attending Curry School and graduating from Woman’s College in 1943 with a Bachelor of Science in Music. Although she was a voice major, she also studied cello with Dr. Elizabeth Cowling, and played percussion with the Greensboro Orchestra when George was its concertmaster, and with the Greensboro Symphony when George was conductor. She also taught cello and beginning music theory to pre-college music students for one summer during the Summer String Institute initiated by George to attract and recruit new string students to the College.

After marrying George, Anna served as President of the Faculty Wives Club, Recording Secretary of the Alumni Association, and was a charter member of the Weatherspoon Art Museum. She was also an early member of the Musical Arts Guild and member of the Greensboro Symphony Guild. Throughout their marriage and George’s tenure at UNCG, Anna was a very supportive partner, gracious hostess and trusted confidant. With the establishment of The Anna Bell and George W. Dickieson Chamber Music Endowment in 2005, Anna both celebrated her and George’s loving partnership and commemorated his distinguished career as an artist and teacher. The Quatuor Stanislas guest artist residency in October 2006, was made possible by this endowment.