Dixon's Violin continues his HUMANKINDness tour Saturday, Nov. 22 at The Playhouse at White Lake, with performance set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
A former technology leader and symphony violinist, Dixon walked away from a distinguished career to follow his dream full-time, and invented a whole new music genre. Dixon now improvises on a 5-string electric violin with a looping system he developed to create an all-live one-man symphony, guided by his personal story of life transformation. The visionary violinist grew up in Davison and graduated from the University of Michigan-Flint, where he was the assistant concertmaster of the university's symphony. Dixon is also the former assistant concertmaster of the Flint Youth Symphony, which is one of only two youth orchestras in the U.S. invited to perform in Munich, Germany.
Dixon had been playing classical music all his life, but in 2005 everything changed. A trip to the Burning Man festival challenged him to improvise and gave a perfect opportunity to create his own music for the first time.
“When I saw the look in people’s eyes, that I could move them with my own music, it changed my life,” he said. “I made up my mind then and there to rearrange my life priorities. I had been playing for 25 years, but for the first time I truly fell in love with music.”
Few violinists are both classically trained and able to improvise. To also have a command of such a wide range of pedal effects is nearly unheard of. But what sets Dixon apart is his empathy and presence. He is always conscious of the energy in the room, baring his soul through his instrument, guiding and inspiring the listeners through his words and bittersweet, beautiful sounds.
“Humankindness is the blending of humankind and kindness,” Dixon said. “I believe we are all connected and we can honor each other with compassion and care.”
Advance tickets to the show are $29 on sale now at EventBrite.com and at dixonsviolin.com.
