Dana Ragsdale, Professor of Music
D.M.A., Cincinnati Conservatory of Music
Dr. Dana Ragsdale has been a professor of harpsichord and piano at Southern Miss since the 1970s. She retired retiring at the end of the spring semester after more than 30 years of service. A highly accomplished harpsichord and piano performer, Dr. Ragsdale has performed as a solo artist and as an accompanist at multiple venues on a local, national and international level, including Carnegie Hall.
Given her long association with Southern Miss, Dr. Ragsdale has witnessed many changes in the School of Music. She says, "I've enjoyed witnessing the dazzling growth in numbers and musical maturity of all the ensembles. I will never forget watching Yo-Yo Ma play Brahms' 4th Symphony with our orchestra before playing his concerto (sitting in the last chair of the cello section). We all learned wherein lies true greatness that night." Another unforgettable moment for her was watching world-famous tenor Placido Domingo, who performed with the orchestra, ask the principal cellist to take a bow, giving the student cellist his flowers. Dr. Ragsdale said "memories like that make you proud of your colleagues and your students."
Over the years Dr. Ragsdale's students and colleagues have been equally impressed with her as well. As one former student explained, "After eight weeks of teaching from Dr. Ragsdale, I completely fell in love with classical music. She pushed me to my potential and challenged me to go beyond." Dr. Michael Miles, Director of the School of Music, adds, "From her wonderfully bright personality, to her impeccable performance skills, to her dedicated and artful teaching, Dana has positively impacted the lives of literally thousands of students, faculty, staff and audiences in her time at Southern Miss. She is a true jewel, and it is with deep sadness and regret that we lose her as a full-time faculty member. We hope we can count on her smile brightening our days and continuing to enlighten our students as a part-time faculty member for many years to come."
For this next chapter of her life, Dr. Ragsdale says, "I'm not one to sit back and lounge around." Therefore, she plans to continue performing on a limited basis with her Southern Miss colleagues and also with Trio Solaris, a group she co-founded with former Southern Miss professors, Patty Malone and Rebekah Stark Johnson. She plans to travel around the country to visit family members, and she says that she would love to return to Italy one day.
