Duke Music Masterclasses are free and open to the public.
Cellist Darrett Adkins performs around the world as a soloist and chamber musician. He has performed in US premieres of concertos by Donatoni, Wallin, and Nordheim, as well as world premieres of concertos by Andrew Mead and Jeffrey Mumford. He gave the first NY performance of Berio's Sequenza XIV and the US premiere of Messiaen's Concerto for Four with the Aspen Festival Orchestra. From 2018 to 2019, he undertook two 14-city tours of China, and alongside Robert Spano, premiered Stephen Hartke's Da Pacem, a cello concerto co-commissioned by Aspen and Oberlin. In 2017, along with Timothy Weiss and the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, he released Myth and Tradition, featuring Wernick's Concerto for Cello and Ten Players and world-premiere concertos by Philip Cashian and Su Lian Tan, both commissioned by and dedicated to Adkins. His recording, Hypersuite, places a contemporary cello recital within the framework of Bach's Second Suite and features works by Carter and Adriana Verdié. He has performed for King Harald of Norway, received a Cultural Arts Grant from the American-Scandinavian Foundation, and was the "Cellist of Honor" at the 2002 Rio Cello Encounter. As a former member of the FLUX Quartet, he gave the first complete performance and recording of Morton Feldman's Second Quartet. With the Lion's Gate Trio, he developed "Ode to Joy," an annual chamber music festival at the Hartt School. Adkins is on the teaching faculties of Oberlin College, the Juilliard School, and Aspen Music Festival and School.
Department of Music
