University of Iowa School of Music 2021-2022 Magazine
CONNECTING PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD TO MUSIC AT IOWA BY LEAH GROUT GARRIS
Nile and Lois Dusdieker, longtime School of Music supporters, made live-stream concerts possible during the pandemic and beyond
The Dusdiekers’ love for music continues to be passed down the family tree as Nile and Lois now watch their grandchildren get involved, too. “Our grandson just gave his first piano recital,” says Nile. “When they come over to grandpa’s, of course I have to play piano with them.” Now, with their most recent donation to the School of Music, the Dusdiekers have made it possible for on-campus performances to reach an even wider audience—one that spans the entire globe. “Whether you go on to have a career in music or use your musical skills for enjoyment, which is largely what Lois and I have done, giving back even a little bit to something that helped shape your life will be appreciated and also makes you feel good,” describes Nile.
MUSIC RUNS DEEP IN THE DUSDIEKER FAMILY. Now retired physicians, both Nile and Lois Dusdieker made music part of their journey while they attended the University of Iowa in the 1970s to study medicine. Lois, a bassoonist, served as a pediatrician and associate professor of pediatrics at the Carver College of Medicine; Nile, a piano and composition double major and member of the Hawkeye Marching Band, was a gastroenterologist at a private practice in Cedar Rapids. The two passed their appreciation for music on to their children as well. Their oldest daughter, Annie, is a physician and saxophone player; the second-oldest, Carol, is the director of music and theater at Heidelberg University and a trained opera singer; their youngest, Nile Thomas, is a music teacher, leads a student jazz band, and plays percussion.
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