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Five Duke Voice students recently performed at NATS Mid-Atlantic Region Student Auditions at Furman University in a pool of the top voice students from MD, DC, VA, NC and SC.  All of these students received insightful comments from professors at various conservatories, music schools and departments, and honed their performing skills by participating in these auditions. Two students placed in their groups: Claire Hardek: placed second in her first round of college sophomore women.  read more about Five Duke Students Perform at Mid-Atlantic Region NATS Auditions  »

Music graduate alum Ryan Harrison and Instructor of Music Andrew Waggoner will be featured in the Louis Moreau Institute for New Music Performance’s tenth anniversary concert season. In addition to Harrison and Waggoner’s compositions, the concert will be the world premiere of Single #2: The Mixer, a new work for the Louis Moreau Institute Artists composed by Morris Rosenzweig. Composers Courtney Bryan, Dennis H Miller, Wynton Marsalis and Chris Trapani are also featured in the performance. Located in New Orleans,… read more about Ryan Harrison and Andrew Waggoner Featured at the Louis Moreau Institute for New Music Performance »

Graduating in 2022 with a B.S. in Biology, a minor in Music and a certificate in Sustainability Engagement from the Nicholas School of the Environment, Pooja Lalwani credits her Duke Music courses for enhancing her STEM scholarship. “The arts at Duke definitely taught me a lot about health and medicine,” she says. “Academically, I was really interested in music therapy and utilizing music as a way to enhance memory.” As an undergrad, Lalwani took elective courses that integrated her three interests, biology, music and… read more about A Prescription for Harmony: How Music Enhances the Pre-Med Journey »

On Friday, February 16, nine Duke Voice students sang in the NC Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Student Auditions. All of these students qualified to advance to NATS Regional Auditions with other college or conservatory singers from across the Southeast.    Third-year treble room 2, Sophia Leeman, 1st Third-year treble 2, Julia Leeman, 2nd Studio of Sandra Cotton   Second-year treble room 1, Abigail Pickens,… read more about Nine Duke Voice Students Qualify for NATS Regional Auditions »

On a drizzly Tuesday morning in late October, a group of students from Sophia Enriquez’s Introduction to Latino/a Studies in the Global South class piled into a bus and headed to a farm in Hillsborough to pick cempasúchil flowers, a species of marigold known as flor de muerto or flower of the dead. Students from Sophia Enriquez’s Introduction to Latino/a Studies in the Global South class collect cempasúchil flowers from Ever Laughter Farm and Nursery in… read more about Music, Flowers and Hot Chocolate: Sophia Enriquez Teaches Through Community Engagement »

Brittany J. Green, a Duke graduate composer in the Department of Music, is one of eight composers to receive a publishing contract for select orchestral works from the American Composers Orchestra (ACO). Green is one of the inaugural recipients through the ACO’s newly launched Earshot Publishing, an unprecedented music publishing initiative that will administer the rights for select orchestral works developed through its national EarShot composer advancement programs. Green has been accepted for her work  read more about Brittany Green Named One of Eight Inaugural Composers to Receive Publishing Contracts for Select Orchestral Works »

When was the last time a song hit you in the solar plexus, taking your breath away with wonderment?   You probably didn’t stop to analyze what it was about that song, the artistry of that composition, that evoked such a deep emotional response. But if you were a composer at the turn of the 17th century, like Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), pondering this question might have kept you up at night.  In her new book, Monteverdi and the Marvellous: Poetry, Sound, and Representation, Assistant… read more about Creating Musical Wonderment: Roseen Giles’ Monteverdi and the Marvellous »

On December 1, cellist Caroline Stinson performed Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Harbison's Presences, for solo cello and string quintet at the composer's 85th birthday celebration at Emmanuel Church in Boston, MA. Stinson performed the work with the Lydian String Quartet and Rachel Calin, bass. Stinson will record Presences in 2024 as part of a project to be released by Naxos, which will feature Stinson performing several of Harbison's works for cello. Caroline Stinson is associate… read more about Caroline Stinson Celebrates Composer John Harbison's 85th Birthday »

For junior Alex Ozonoff, declaring a major in Biology was the obvious choice — after some soul searching and deep dives into entomology, epidemiology and microbiology, that is. And as his career decisions began to feel more real than hypothetical, he fixated on becoming a doctor. “My mother is a physician assistant, and my dad is a surgical technician, so I’ve always been exposed to medicine,” he explains. “It seemed clear to me from early on what I’d pursue.” On the pre-med track with a concentration in Biochemistry,… read more about Piano and Pre-Med: Achieving a Balance »

On November 12, Professor R. Larry Todd and alumna Angela Mace will be in New York to attend the American premiere of a new documentary about Fanny Hensel (1805-1847). The talented sister of Felix Mendelssohn, Hensel's musical compositions were largely overlooked during her lifetime. Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn uncovers the story of Hensel's contributions, restoring the composer to her rightful place in the 19th century Western musical canon. Todd and Mace participated in the making of the documentary and are… read more about Professor R. Larry Todd & Angela Mace (Ph.D. 2013) Featured in New Documentary »

Julia Leeman, a double major in Neuroscience and Music, was first drawn to biology and psychology in high school. “I found it interesting to reflect on what others were thinking, but I was also fascinated by the idea of understanding the biological basis,” the senior explains. “I knew that when I went to college, I really wanted to see what neuroscience was all about.” As a first-year student at Duke, Leeman was a part of the FOCUS program, Cognitive Neuroscience and the Law, and learned first-hand what primary research… read more about Listen to This: Neuroscience and Music in Conversation »

Graduate composer Ryan Harrison's song cycle for voices and chamber orchestra, Les Cenelles, was performed on August 25 & 26, 2003, by the New Orleans Chamber Orchestra at Xavier University of Louisiana, Maxim Samarov conducting, with soloists Sakinah Davis, soprano and Ivan Griffin, bass-baritone. Les Cenelles is based on the first anthology of poetry published by African Americans in 1845. It constitutes the major portion of Harrison's Ph.D. thesis in composition in the… read more about Ryan Harrison's "Les Cenelles" premiered by the New Orleans Chamber Orchestra »

Assistant Curator Jessica Wood manages special collections for the Music & Recorded Sound Division at the New York Public Library. The Coltrane tapes she unearthed at the NYPL Sound Archives were released in July 2023 on Impulse Records. Read about how this discovery took place and Jessica's role in it.   read more about Jessica Wood (Ph.D. Musicology, 2010) plays a key role in unearthing unreleased John Coltrane tapes »

Two Duke undergraduates made it to the Semifinal Round of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Student Auditions in 2023. Each of these singers placed in the top 14 students in the nation in their categories.   Congratulations to: Claire Hardek (First year treble) Claire studies voice with Professor Elizabeth Linnartz at Duke, where she also participates in Duke Opera Theater and the a cappella group Out of the Blue. Claire is majoring in Public… read more about Claire Hardek and Julia Leeman are among top voice students in the US »

The Ciompi Quartet Portfolio Project began in the summer of 2020 as a way for the Quartet to engage with composers in Duke Music’s graduate program during the COVID-19 pandemic, when live performances were curtailed and composers and performers needed creative outlets for their music. Portfolio Project 2020 was presented by Duke Music’s Best of Biddle virtual series, with the video receiving hundreds of views since its premiere. The success of the initial project inspired the Ciompi Quartet to continue the Portfolio… read more about Portfolio Project: The Ciompi Quartet commissions Duke Graduate Composers 2022 »

Faculty Scholar Awards are the highest honor bestowed by university faculty on undergraduates. The award was established to highlight students with an exceptional record of independent research and scholarship and who show promise of a scholarly career. Leeman, one of three recipients this year, is a rising senior from Charlotte, NC, majoring in Neuroscience and Music. Her research explores connections between memory, emotion and music. She hopes to help people with paralysis communicate by investigating how the brain… read more about Julia Leeman honored as a 2023 Faculty Scholar »

Three undergraduate students who found an engaging intellectual topic and worked with Duke faculty to conduct original research that advances knowledge in that field were honored with Faculty Scholar Awards, the highest honor bestowed by university faculty on undergraduates. The award was established to highlight students with an exceptional record of independent research and scholarship and who show promise of a scholarly career. Marcos Hirai Catao is recognized for the study of the relationship between… read more about Three Students Honored as Faculty Scholars  »

On April 29, 2023, the Department of Music honored Professor Emeritus Bryan Gilliam with a symposium in honor of his retirement. Fifty of Gilliam's colleagues, former students, and current students attended the celebration, which included the presentation of a number of tributes from Gilliam's many former graduate students. The event was a collaborative effort between the Department of Music and two of Gilliam’s former students, professors Joy Calico (Vanderbilt University) and Neil Lerner (Davidson College).… read more about Symposium in Honor of Professor Emeritus Bryan Gilliam »

A new class in Baroque performance practice was introduced in Spring 2023. "Reading Between the Notes" was developed by professors Roseen Giles, a musicologist specializing in early music, and Caroline Stinson, cellist of the Ciompi Quartet and Director of the Chamber Music Program. It was offered as MUS390-1: Special Topics in Interpretation and Performance. The class focused on hands-on and experiential learning, whether it was exploring the Music Department's early music instruments, attending concerts in the community… read more about Reading Between the Notes, a New Performance Practice Class in Spring 2023 »

Graduate Degrees Conferred Cody Black, Ph.D. (Ethnomusicology) -- SPRING 2023 Dissertation: "Analog Optimism: Voice, Digitalized Life, and the Aural Labor of Becoming in South Korea." Committee Chair: Louise Meintjes James Budinich, Ph.D. (Composition) -- FALL 2022 Dissertation piece: "Third-Millennium Heart, song cycle for 10 instruments and soprano, setting poetry by Ursula Andkjaer Olse." Committee Chair: Scott Lindroth Joanna Chang, Ph.D. (Musicology) -- SUMMER 2022… read more about Congratulations to our Ph.D graduates »

Music Department Awards The Julia Wilkinson Mueller Prize for Excellence in Music Francesca Herrera  Nathaniel Maxwell  This award is in honor of a former chair of the Department of Music and member of the Ciompi Quartet. It goes to a graduating senior for achievement in musical performance. The William Klenz Prize in Music Composition Ethan Foote for his chamber orchestra composition Wild Requiem Awarded to a graduate or… read more about Music Department Awards 2023 »

A lot of people wish they could play the violin. Nathaniel Maxwell’s ambition was to write music for it. Maxwell, who is graduating with majors in Mathematics and Music and a minor in Statistical Science, is an accomplished pianist and trumpet player who has performed in the Duke Symphony Orchestra, the Duke University Marching Band and the Chamber Music Program. Throughout his time at Duke, he has also studied piano with Professor David Heid. “I'd done a lot of playing and even some composition in high school,” he said… read more about Composing Outside His Comfort Zone: Nathaniel Maxwell’s “Piano Quintet” »

The Durham Symphony Orchestra's RESURGENCE concert on April 23 features Tears in Rain, a new work by Duke graduate composer Josué Collado-Fregoso. Tears in Rain is the winning work from the Durham Symphony's first Young Composers Competition—this year based on the theme of resurgence and drawn from a talented pool of Duke University students taught by Stephen Jaffe.   Tears in Rain is a sonic reflection on the transitory nature of moments,… read more about Durham Symphony Premieres New Work by Josué Collado-Fregoso »