Chorale

The Duke Chorale posed in Baldwin Auditorium
Audition Information
Any interested undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to audition. Refer to schedule and ensemble contacts list
Rehearsal Schedules
Chorale: Tuesday and Thursday, 4:40-6:10 p.m.
Chamber Choir: TBD

The Duke University Chorale, the primary choral group of the Department of Music at Duke, is composed of 50-55 singers; the Chamber Choir is 16-20 singers. Chorale rehearsals are scheduled for 4:40-6:10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in Nelson Music Room in the East Duke Building. Singers must sing in the Chorale to be eligible for the Chamber Choir. 

The Chorale and Chamber Choir repertoire features both sacred and secular music from many cultures and traditions, much of it unaccompanied, ranging from Renaissance motets to contemporary works, and including both simpler and more complex music. In recent years the Chorale has also performed many major works with orchestra, including Rutter’s Requiem, Philip Glass’s Itaipu, Bach's St. John Passion, Mendelssohn’s St. Paul, and Britten's War Requiem.

Because of its strong ties to the university and community, the Chorale sings not only on campus (in formal concerts as well as occasional university events and Duke basketball games) but also in the Durham community (at nursing homes and the Durham Rescue Mission, e.g.). Their annual family-style Christmas program fills Duke Chapel with audience members of all ages, who bring large amounts of food for area homeless shelters.

Formed in 1970 when the Men’s and Women’s Glee Clubs were combined into a single choir, the Chorale has a long-standing tradition of touring tours during Duke’s Spring Break. Past international tours, which occur every four years, have taken the group to China, Central America, and many parts of Europe, while their domestic tours alternate between California, the Northeast, and the Southeast.

Visit the Chorale's website!

Visit the Chorale's Facebook page!

Chorale Videos

Chorale Photos

Fall 2023: Duke Chorale in the community

Duke Chorale socially distanced recording session, Sept. 2020

These photos were taken during a video recording session on Sept. 12, 2020 in Baldwin Auditorium.

The Duke Chorale

  • Rodney Wynkoop, conductor
  • Rick Nelson, producer, video and photos
  • Brooks Frederickson, audio recording and mixing

(Photo Credit: Rick Nelson)