Duke University’s music department presents many free concerts, lectures and master classes throughout the year, open to the public. Here’s a list of some of the upcoming free events. Follow the links for information on location. Visit Duke University Music Department’s website for the full list.
Follow the link for each event for more information, including the specific location within the building.
Duke New Music Ensemble [dnme] presents Hypercube
Thursday, September 20, 2018 – 8:00pm
East Duke 201 – Nelson Music Room
Event Price: Free
New York City-based Hypercube (saxophone/electric guitar/piano/percussion quartet) performs works by Duke graduate composers James Budinich, James Chu, Stephen Downing, Brooks Frederickson, Dayton Kinney, and Amin Sharifi. HYPERCUBE has been featured at Music on the Edge (Pittsburgh) and The Versipel New Music Festival (New Orleans), among others. They have presented performances, masterclasses and residencies at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Bowling Green State University, University of Tennessee, Kent State University (Vanguard Artist Series), Oberlin Conservatory, and others. The group has commissioned new works by Daniel Tacke, Eric Wubbels, Dennis Sullivan, Philip Schuessler, Kari Besharse, Anthony Gatto, Nomi Epstein, Christopher Adler and Nicholas Deyoe. HYPERCUBE is Erin Rogers (saxophones), Jay Sorce (classical & electric guitar), Andrea Lodge (piano), and Chris Graham (percussion). [dnme] is directed by Brooks Frederickson.
Duke University Wind Symphony: Mother Earth
Thursday, September 27, 2018 – 8:00pm
Baldwin Auditorium
Event Price: Free
PROGRAM: David Maslanka: “Mother Earth,” Frank Ticheli: “Rest,” Modest Mussorgsky (arr. William Schaefer): “Night on Bald Mountain,” Steven Bryant: “In this Broad Earth,” Percy Grainger: “Molly on the Shore,” Alexandra Gardner: “Perseids,” and Richard Wagner (arr. Robert Longfield): “Ride of the Valkyries.” The Duke University Wind Symphony is directed by Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant.
Hsiao-mei Ku, violin & R. Larry Todd, piano
Sunday, September 30, 2018 – 7:00pm
East Duke 201 – Nelson Music Room
Event Price: Free
Program includes Poulenc: Violin Sonata, Ethel Smyth: Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 7, Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45. Hsiao-mei Ku is a Professor in the Department of Music at Duke University and a member of the Ciompi Quartet. She made her debut at age seven and began her professional training three years later at the Central Conservatory in Beijing. After coming to America, she received her Master of Music degree with distinction and was a recipient of the Performer’s Certificate from the School of Music, Indiana University. Since 1999, Ku has held the post of Visiting Professor of Guangzhou Xinghai Conservatory and leads groups of students to China each summer as part of the Duke Engage Program. R. Larry Todd is Arts & Sciences Professor and former chair of the Music Department at Duke University. Among his books are “Mendelssohn: A Life in Music,” “Fanny Hensel, the Other Mendelssohn,” and the recently-released “Beethoven’s Cello: Five Revolutionary Sonatas and Their World” with co-author Marc Moskovitz. A graduate of Yale University, he studied piano at the Yale School of Music and with the late Lilian Kallir. His recording with Nancy Green of the complete cello and piano works of Mendelssohn and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel has recently been released from JRI Recordings.
Duke Symphony Orchestra with Cicilia Yudha, pianist
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 – 8:00pm
Baldwin Auditorium
Event Price: Free
PROGRAM: Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 99 in E-flat Major, Clara Wieck-Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 7, Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120. Harry Davidson is music director of the Duke Symphony Orchestra. A versatile solo pianist and avid chamber musician, Cicilia Yudha has given performances in the US, Austria, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, and Indonesia. She has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall and has given master classes and presentations across the United States and Southeast Asia. Passionate in music education and community service, Yudha taught in the Piano Preparatory Department at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, and successfully established a class piano program for the Youngstown City Schools. Yudha earned a Doctorate in piano performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree and an Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Master of Music degree and a Graduate Diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music. She is Assistant Professor of Music at the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University.
Duke Wind Symphony: A Halloween Spooktacular
Saturday, October 27, 2018 – 3:00pm
Durham Central Park
Event Price: Free
*Note: This concert takes place in Durham Central Park, 501 Foster St., Durham, NC* Spooktacular performance by the Durham Community Concert Band and the Duke Wind Symphony. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy this fun and engaging outdoor performance for all ages. The Duke University Wind Symphony is directed by Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant. This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the Durham Arts Council.
Duke Djembe & Afro-Cuban Ensembles with Master Djembe player Bolokada Conde
Friday, November 9, 2018 – 8:00pm
Baldwin Auditorium
Event Price: Free
Born in Morowaya, Guinea, Bolokada is a Master Drummer in the Mande tradition, specializing in the djembe drum. As a teenager, he became known as a young musical prodigy in the Sankaran region of Guinea, West Africa. In 1996, Bolokada became lead soloist of Les Percussions de Guinée, Guinea’s premiere percussion ensemble. With the ensemble, he toured in the United States and Europe, gaining an international reputation as a djembe player and performing with Elvin Jones, Joan Baez, and Mickey Hart. Since 2004, he has been performing and teaching in the United States. He’s conducted percussion workshops all over the U.S. and Europe and has performed in France, Italy, South Korea, Canada, Mexico and more. Bolokata has started drumming and dance troupes in Oakland, CA; Champaign, IL; Nashville, TN; Boston, MA; and most recently in Asheville, NC and Greenville, SC. He has published two CDs, “Sankaran” and “Morowaya,” an instructional DVD (“M’bara”), and a DVD of in-context performances in Guinea, “M’bemba Fakoli;” all of these are published on the Abaraka label. He is featured in the IMAX movie “Pulse: a STOMP Odyssey” and is the subject of an upcoming documentary, “Bolokada Conde, Malinke Village Djembefola.” Bolokata currently lives in Greenville, SC, where he’s worked with Anderson University and North Greenville University students, and performed on both campuses. The Duke Djembe and Afro-Cuban ensembles are directed by Bradley Simmons.
Rare Music Concert: CPE Bach @ 230
Tuesday, November 13, 2018 – 7:30pm
East Duke 201 – Nelson Music Room
Event Price: Free
In remembrance of the 230th anniversary of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s death in 1788, this concert features the composer’s flute quartets and trio sonatas, as well as a Mozart flute quartet. Roseen Giles, flute; Eric Pritchard, violin; Suzanne Rousso, viola; Stephanie Vial, cello; and R. Larry Todd playing DUMIC’s Clementi fortepiano ca. 1805-10. Presented in association with Duke University Musical Instrument Collections (DUMIC)
Composers Encounter with JACK Quartet
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 – 10:00am
Baldwin Auditorium
Event Price: Free
Duke graduate composers Maximiliano Amici, James Chu, Brooks Frederickson, Eren Gumrukcuoglu, Yuxin Ouyang, Amin Sharifi, and others engage with JACK Quartet during the first of three visits to Duke in 2018-19. Limited public attendance open by arrangement. Call 919-660-3333. Presented in association with Duke Performances & the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts.
Duke University Wind Symphony: Dream Machine
Thursday, November 15, 2018 – 8:00pm
Baldwin Auditorium
Event Price: Free
The Duke University Wind Symphony welcomes the Sanderson High School Wind Ensemble, directed by Creighton Flowers. Works include Katherine Bergman: “Dream Machine,” Gustav Holst: First Suite in E-flat, Eric Whitacre: “Goodnight Moon” featuring soprano Meredith Achey, and more. The Duke University Wind Symphony is directed by Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant.
Lindsay Kesselman, soprano & the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet
Friday, November 16, 2018 – 8:00pm
Baldwin Auditorium
Event Price: Free
Opera favorites by Puccini, Rossini, Mozart, Bernstein and more, arranged for solo vocalist and saxophone quartet. Hailed by Fanfare Magazine as an “artist of growing reputation for her artistry and intelligence…with a voice of goddess-like splendor,” Lindsay Kesselman is a soprano who passionately advocatesfor contemporary music. In the 2017-18 season, Kesselman had the honor of being the featured singer at John Corigliano’s 80th birthday concert celebration at National Sawdust. Other season highlights included her debuts with the North Carolina Symphony and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, as well as the 2017release of “Antique Violences” on Blue Griffin, featuring “Songs from the End of the World” by JohnMackey, written for Kesselman and chamber winds. The Red Clay Saxophone Quartet was formed in 2003 when the fates conspired to bring four internationally recognized saxophonists (Susan Fancher, Robert Faub, Steven Stusek and Mark Engebretson) together in Greensboro, NC. The Quartet presents a varied repertoire from classical to jazz to new music to tango, featuring music by composers such as Ben Johnston, György Ligeti, Chick Corea, Perry Goldstein, Francis Poulenc, Alejandro Rutty, Ben Boone, Steve Reich, Mark Engebretson, Martin Bresnick, Burton Beerman and Gavin Bryars. Red Clay member Susan Fancher teaches saxophone and music theory at Duke University.
Duke Opera Workshop
Friday, November 16, 2018 – 8:00pm
East Duke 201 – Nelson Music Room
Event Price: Free
The Duke Opera Workshop, directed by Susan Dunn and accompanied by pianist David Heid, presents a revue of popular songs with costumes and staging.
Duke Opera Workshop
Saturday, November 17, 2018 – 3:00pm
East Duke 201 – Nelson Music Room
Event Price: Free
The Duke Opera Workshop, directed by Susan Dunn and accompanied by pianist David Heid, presents a revue of popular songs with costumes and staging.
Ciompi Quartet: “Remembered, Imagined, Re-imagined” with Eliza Bagg, soprano
Saturday, November 17, 2018 – 8:00pm
Sunday, November 18, 2018, 4 p.m.
Rubenstein Arts Center, von der Heyden Studio Theater
Event Price: Free
Program includes Steve Reich: Different Trains for String Quartet and Tape; Claudio Monteverdi: Two songs arr. for Soprano & String Quartet; and the world premiere of Daniel Wohl’s New Work for String Quartet, Soprano, and Electronics. Now recognized as a modern classic, Steve Reich’s “Different Trains” won a GRAMMY in 1989. It remains among his most popular works, a powerful reflection on the Holocaust and World War II as seen from both sides of the Atlantic. Composer Daniel Wohl’s newest electroacoustic piece, commissioned by the Ciompi, features the voice of soprano Eliza Bagg, a native of Durham. Lauded on NPR as “both aggressive and gorgeous,” Wohl’s style “quietly erases the line between electronic and acoustic music.” Two new transcriptions of sixteenth-century songs by Claudio Monteverdi completethis wide-ranging program.
Chamber Music Concert
Tuesday, November 27, 2018 – 7:00pm
Baldwin Auditorium
Event Price: Free
Advanced musicians in Duke’s chamber music program perform works from the 18th-21st centuries.
Duke Chorale Christmas Concert
Tuesday, December 4, 2018 – 7:00pm
Duke Chapel
Event Price: One non-perishable food item for needy families in Durham
The Duke Chorale, directed by Rodney Wynkoop, presents its annual Christmas Concert featuring seasonal selections by the Duke Chorale as well as traditional carols for the entire audience to sing and stories and special treats for the children. This family holiday event is a long-standing tradition for many area residents. *Pre-concert music on the carillon begins at 6:30 PM
Duke Symphony Orchestra: Music for the Season with April Martin, soprano & Don Eagle, trumpet
Wednesday, December 5, 2018 – 8:00pm
Baldwin Auditorium
Event Price: Free
PROGRAM: Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn: Overture in C Major, Alessandro Scarlatti: “Cantata Pastorale per la Nativita,” J.S. Bach: Cantata No. 51: “Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen,” Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 in D Major. April Martin joined the Virginia Opera as an Emerging Artist for the 2017-2018 season. Her roles include Norina (Don Pasquale) with the Bar Harbor Music Festival in Maine, Dew Fairy (Hänsel und Gretel), Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro) Kitty Hart (Dead Man Walking) and Edith (The Pirates of Penzance) as a Resident Artist with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. She has also sung with the Aspen Music Festival, Central City Opera, Finger Lakes Opera, the Bar Harbor Music Festival, and the Castleton Music Festival. Equally engaging in concert, Ms. Martin has joined the Cleveland Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony and the Mendelssohn Glee Club of NYC on programs and gala events. Don Eagle teaches trumpet at Duke University and has appeared as soloist with the North Carolina Chamber Players, the Raleigh Symphony, the Raleigh Civic Symphony, the North Carolina Bach Festival, the Elon University Chamber Orchestra, the North Carolina State University Band, and the Triangle Brass Band, among others. Harry Davidson is music director of the Duke Symphony Orchestra.
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