Julian Dixon

Tuba / Principal*

Tubist, Julian C. Dixon, a native of San Francisco, CA, has a broad career that spans from coast to coast. He also is currently the Education and Community Engagement Director of the Sacramento Philharmonic.

He has performed with a variety of groups and ensembles, from brass quintets to symphonic orchestras, playing a wide range of musical styles from contemporary to Klezmer. His music has taken him across all of North America and overseas to Japan and Finland; including performances at such notable venues as the Tokyo Disneyland, Cleveland Ohio’s Severance Hall, and the great stages at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Mr. Dixon’s performances include the many symphonic orchestras of Northern California. Presently, he is the Principal Tuba of the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sacramento Opera, and the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra.

Mr. Dixon is also a distinguished chamber musician, who in 1988, as an original member of the Atlantic Brass Quintet, won “First Prize” awards in the “Coleman”, “Shoreline Alliance”, and “Summit Brass First International” Chamber Music competitions. Soon thereafter launching their national debut with over a 120 concert season across America under Columbia Artist Management Inc. Presently, Mr. Dixon applies his love for chamber brass music as a founding member of the Farallon Brass Ensemble of Berkeley, CA, Sierra Brass Quintet of Grass Valley, and the Philharmonic Brass of Sacramento.

Julian C. Dixon’s formal studies began at San Francisco State University, where his main influences were Zachariah A. Spellman of the San Francisco Opera and Floyd Cooley of the San Francisco Symphony. He later continued his undergraduate and graduate studies at Boston University under the guidance of J. Samuel Pilafian and the Empire Brass Quintet.

Julian C. Dixon’s dedication to music education can be seen over the years through his many affiliations with notable learning institutions. He taught as a faculty member of Boston University Tanglewood Institute, as performance demonstrator for Young Audiences of Massachusetts, as a Teaching Associate for the Boston Conservatory of Music, and as faculty of the Farallon Brass Ensemble’s Brass Camp for the Crowden Music School and the Albany (CA) Unified School District.

For the past nine years in the Sacramento area, Mr. Dixon continues to be a staunch promoter of music education and community engagement.

As a member of the music faculty at Sacramento State University his endeavors include teaching the tuba studio and brass ensembles, initiating the first annual “Down In The Valley: A Festival of Tuba and Euphonium” in the Spring 2006, and presenting the Sacramento State University Tuba Ensemble in their first International Tuba Euphonium Conference (2008) in Cincinnati, OH. Also, in this academic year 2008/2009, Mr. Dixon has been politically active on campus, serving on the Faculty Senate representing Lecturer Faculty.

The 2008/2009 orchestra season introduced Julian Dixon in an additional role with the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra as the new Community Engagement Manager and by season’s end he was made Director of Education & Community Engagement. His engaging personality and participation as performer, narrator and Master of Ceremonies in many of the Philharmonic’s “Musicians on the Move’ and “Education Concerts” programs has made him an ideal fit for this new role. Mr. Dixon coordinates our many Education Programs and works closely with various organizations and institutions in the region, bringing our musicians and community closer together, enriching the lives of children and adults alike with the wonderful gift of music. Most notably, Mr. Dixon successfully launched our new “Music Wellness Program” in partnership with the Sutter Medical Center Foundation, for the well being of patients, their families, and staff of the Sutter Medical community.

As a final note, in addition to Julian C. Dixon’s extensive musical career, Mr. Dixon has over a decade of corporate knowledge and experience supervising call centers, managing national accounts, and training employees for the wireless industry leaders of Boston Communications Group, AirTouch Paging, and Verizon Wirelesss.