A Grand Homecoming
Madeline Adkins (’98) was practically raised in the College of Music at the University of North Texas. The daughter of two UNT musicology professors, she grew up in a household rich with instruments, harmonious sounds and passion for performance. This not only cultivated her love for music but also shaped her identity.
Now, she has returned home to perform Barber’s Violin Concerto with the UNT Concert Orchestra as a guest soloist — weaving together her talent for playing violin, zeal for music education and engagement and love for the UNT College of Music.
“It’s really great for me to be back,” Adkins says. “I started coming to the College of Music when I was five years old, so I’ve been roaming these halls for a really long time. It really does feel like home for me.”
Adkins’ parents were the late Cecil and Alis Dickinson (’73 Ph.D.) Adkins. Cecil, a professor emeritus, served from 1963 to 2000 and founded UNT’s early music program. Dickinson was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in the arts from a Texas university and taught music history and appreciation at UNT for 11 years. Together, the duo also edited doctoral dissertations in musicology and collaborated on numerous other publications.
The youngest of eight children, Madeline is not the only one who has found success in music. Six of the eight siblings have made careers out of their musical talents.
“It was part of the fabric of life,” Adkins says. “It wasn’t really a choice, it was kind of what we did. But you can imagine, with that many kids trying to practice their instruments every day, the house was full of music — sometimes cacophony — as everybody was in different rooms trying to play different music all the time.”
Adkins began playing violin by age five, just as her older sisters had.
“My parents just believed that they could impart this gift to us to be able to play instruments and hoped that we would want to pursue that professionally,” she says. “But at any rate, they knew that that was something they could give to us.”
Adkins studied music at UNT, attending classes alongside one of her older siblings and some taught by her parents. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree, she earned her master’s degree at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Following her studies, she won her first position in the Baltimore Symphony.
“When you’re doing a symphonic career, those jobs don’t open up very often, so you don’t have a lot of say about where you’re going,” Adkins says. “It’s a matter of auditioning for things that come open and hoping that you get them.”
After 16 wonderful years in Baltimore, Adkins took the opportunity to fulfill her dream of becoming concertmaster, or lead violinist in an orchestra, by auditioning for the role in the Utah Symphony. She secured her concertmaster dreams and eight years later, she is happily continuing to broaden her horizons.
“Now I have the opportunity to travel and play around the world and it’s been incredibly eye opening to get to see and play with people from different places and experience all those cultures and bring all those ideas back home,” she says.
Adkins has performed internationally, including seven trips to a chamber music festival in South Africa and a rewarding program in Haiti with young musicians.
“The students are all just jamming and loving to play their instruments and bringing so much of their own joy and culture to the experience,” Adkins says. “I find those experiences to be the most energizing. It’s not just about music that was written 200 years ago, it’s about things that are happening in the moment and every day in the world.”
Adkins has also taught the National Youth Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
Like her parents, teaching and learning is close to Adkins’ heart, which made her return home to UNT to perform with the UNT Concert Orchestra even more special.
“It is a thrill and an honor to welcome such a distinguished alumna as Madeline Adkins back to the UNT College of Music,” says John Richmond, dean of the UNT College of Music. “She is part of a truly legendary family of supremely accomplished musicians, and we could not be more excited to have her on campus. Our students are sure to learn from her because of what she has to say, no doubt, and as much or more because of the way she performs so exquisitely.”
Adkins’ teaching experiences, including with UNT concert orchestra students, have been mutually enriching.
“You learn from each other when you’re teaching. You’re getting just as much as you’re giving,” she says. “Teaching violin helps me really solidify what I think about things. And then also that exposure to other cultural elements or other ways of thinking — it’s really valuable to keep yourself flexible and always growing.”