Ia tusia se faaauauga mo lenei palakalafa - Na fanau i Ioka ma ola aʻe i Ioka, na faatalitalia atoatoa e Dawson le faaauau pea o le aganuu tau faatoʻaga a lona aiga, ma o le mea moni o le pesepesega e leʻi avea ma ana galuega muamua; na muamua galue o ia i le alamanuia o se faaliliuupu. Peitaʻi, mulimuli ane sa ia aʻoaʻoina i le Guildhall School of Music ma le Britten<unk>Pears School i Suffolk, lea na aofia ai ona faiaʻoga o Rae Woodland, Gerald Moore ma Peter Pears. Ae ui i lea, o lona taimi o se tamaititi aʻoga musika, na faʻatapulaʻaina ona e leʻi umi ae maua lava le galuega faʻapolofesa e amata ai se galuega ma faia ai lana tala faʻasolopito i le 1986 o le Countess i le "Le Nozze di Figaro" (Kent Opera). O le tulaga o Dawson o se tasi o pese pese e sili ona lauiloa ma lauiloa i Egelani na faʻamaonia mai i lana faʻatinoga o se solo i le "Libera me" mai Verdi's Requiem ma le BBC Singers i le Falelauasiga o Diana, Princess of Wales
ia Setema 1997. O loʻo ia faʻaauauina pea se faʻasologa o musika pisi, o le ulu o le leo ma le opera suʻesuʻega i le Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) faʻapea foi ma le Iunivesite o Ioka ma o se Polofesa o Leeds College of Music.