Tribute to conductor

Press, 15 December 1983, Page 25

Tribute to conductor

Tribute was paid to Mr Robert Field-Dodgson, head of music at Christ’s College and conductor of the Royal Christchurch Musical Society, at a Rotary luncheon at the Winter Garden. About 160 members of the Christchurch Rotary Club and their wives heard Mr Field-Dodgson lead the society’s choir in three carols. Professor John Ritchie, professor of music at the University of Canterbury, paid tribute to Mr FieldDodgson. He spoke of his abilities as a singer, as a pianist and organist, and as a conductor. “It is as a conductor that

his contribution to Christchurch and New Zealand music has been most important,” Professor Ritchie said. “In the field of choral excellence, Bob Field-Dodg-son is an achiever, and we in Christchurch should be grateful for that fact.” Mr Field-Dodgson spoke of the support of some “great men” who had been involved with the Royal Christchurch Musical Society, such as Sir James Hay, whom he said had done more for music and the arts in Christchurch than any other man. “I believe very strongly that music and the arts are twin manifestations of the

spirit of God,” he said. “A performance of ‘Messiah’ should be an act of worship.” Mr Field-Dodgson had words to say on the education system. “I sometimes wonder if we set before our young people the perfections which will extend the boundaries of their experience,” he said. “We should emphasise the importance of art and the arts in every part of our lives. “It would be a very great pity if New Zealanders ’worship the mean and cultivate the mediocre’,” he said.