Chicago flute retires after 42 years

From the Chicago Symphony musicians bulletin:

A member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s flute section since 1973, Louise Dixon retires from the Orchestra as the third longest-serving flutist in Chicago Symphony history. At the time of her appointment by Sir Georg Solti, she was principal flute of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and a member of the Grant Park Orchestra.

A native of Pigeon, Michigan, Louise … earned  a Bachelor of Music degree at Indiana University and a Master of Music degree at Northwestern University. Her teachers included James Pellerite and Walfrid Kujala.

Throughout her many years with the CSO, Louise was an active performer on the Orchestra’s chamber music series and a frequent soloist at the Bach Week Festival in Evanston. She was a soloist with the CSO numerous times in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 at Orchestra Hall and Ravinia. She was also a guest artist with the Chicago Chamber Musicians and a member of the faculty at the DePaul University School of Music.

From the archives:

Louise ties as the third-longest serving CSO flute:

• Richard Graef, flute – 1968-present (47 years so far)
• Walfrid Kujala, flute/piccolo – 1954-2001 (47 years)
• Donald Peck, flute – 1957-1999 (42 years)