The reading and archival recording session will take place on May 9, 2018, in Meymandi Hall (Raleigh, NC) with the North Carolina Symphony and Music Director Grant Llewellyn. This opportunity is the second in an ongoing collaboration between the Department of Music's graduate composition program and the North Carolina Symphony, supported by a grant from composer Penka Kouneva (Ph.D 1997). In March 2016, the North Carolina Symphony recorded "Invès" by Yahn Wagner de Mello Pinto and "Vicious Circles"… read more about Graduate composers Yuxin Ouyang and Maximiliano Amici to have works recorded by the North Carolina Symphony »
Scott Lee has been accepted as a Composition Fellow at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood Music Festival, and Sid Richardson has accepted the invitation of the Aspen Music Festival to join its program as a Composition Fellow. Both of the programs are among the most known programs for the study of contemporary composition. read more about Composers Admitted to Summer Fellowship Programs »
Born in Swansea, South Wales, Jane Hawkins began her career in the United States after graduating with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied both cello and piano. Recognized as an inspired and significant collaborator in her work with instrumentalists, vocalists and artists of various disciplines, in recent years she appeared in the United States with the Dorian Wind Quintet, the Chicago Symphony Chamber Players, and the American Chamber Players at the Library of Congress, among others.… read more about Pianist Jane Hawkins (1950-2017), Professor of the Practice and former Chair of the Department of Music »
Excerpted from Duke Today. Read the complete feature. James “Jim” Donald Henry, the director of Duke Athletic Bands from 1960-1985 and on faculty until 1998, died on Friday, Oct. 20. He was 84 years old. Henry was hired in 1960 by Duke University to be the marching band director. The band continued to perform field shows at all home football games, and eventually began playing basketball games as well. In 1962 Henry started the first modern-day style basketball pep band east of the… read more about Professor Emeritus Jim Henry (1933-2017) »
Recorded live at the Carrack Art Museum in Durham, North Carolina, in October 2016, Scratch Slice Jag is the natural outgrowth of the collaboration between Bishop and Ruccia. The two were frequent collaborators when Bishop lived in Durham from 2012 to 2015, and they quickly developed a natural musical rapport over the course of numerous performances within the area’s free improvisation scene. Drawing on the tradition of European free improvisation, new music, and employing myriad extended techniques, Bishop and… read more about Dan Ruccia (PhD Composition, 2013) releases "Scratch Slice Jag" on Out & Gone Music »
In 2011, high school rapper Taylor Bell was suspended from school, accused of “threatening two named educators with gun-related violence." Prosecutors presented rap lyrics Bell had written as evidence of his intention to commit a violent crime. Despite support from scholars and many in the hip hop community, the Supreme Court refused to hear Bell's appeal on first-amendment grounds. Taylor Bell isn't the first-- or last-- rapper to find that his lyrics have followed him into the… read more about Lyric formulas or criminal musings? Nicholas Stoia examines the music theory behind rap lyrics in the courtroom »
All symposium events, including concerts, are free and open to the public. No registration is necessary. For inquiries, contact Philip Rupprecht: philipr@duke.edu Paper Abstracts Common Currencies (Philip Rupprecht) Friday, November 3 PANEL 1 2-5:15 pm Library Seminar Room, Biddle Music Building Charles McGuire: "Nostalgic Melancholy: Metanarratives of Elgar’s Cello Concerto in the Age of Brexit " Byron Adams: "French Fever: French Music in Britain, 1890-1950"… read more about BRITISH MUSIC & EUROPE in the age of Brexit »
FACULTY POSITION IN MUSIC CELLIST IN CIOMPI STRING QUARTET The Department of Music at Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina, invites applications for a full-time faculty position in cello and cellist with the Ciompi Quartet, Ensemble-in-Residence at Duke University, to begin August 1, 2018. Position: Assistant / Associate / Full Professor of the Practice of Music, non-tenure-track Cellist of the Ciompi Quartet of Duke University. Duties: Perform with the Ciompi Quartet in regular on-campus… read more about Faculty Position: Cello, Ciompi Quartet. The Department of Music announces an open rank search. »
Arten will defend her dissertation, "The Whole Booke of Psalmes, Protestant Ideology, and Musical Literacy in Elizabethan England," in spring 2018. Her PhD is supported this year by a Duke Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Dissertation Completion Fellowship. read more about PhD candidate Samantha Arten's article accepted by the journal Early Music »
Penka is generously supporting the graduate composition program at Duke through a recurring commission award that allows current students to compose works to be rehearsed and recorded by the North Carolina Symphony. Scott Lee, one of two graduate students to receive a commission in 2016, won the ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award and Symphony In C's 2016-17 Young Composers' Competition for "Vicious Circles," commissioned through this project. Penka's gift also has funded new… read more about Penka Kouneva (Ph.D., Composition, 1997) inducted into Duke Graduate School's Few-Glasson Alumni Society »
Ethnomusicology graduate student Jonathan Henderson is a member of the band Kaira Ba (The Great Peace), based in central North Carolina. Griot Diali Cissokho (a member of a family of professional musicians from Senegal), is Kaira Ba's lead singer and kora player. In her documentary, Marina Poole follows the group from North Carolina, Cissokho's adopted home, to Mbour, Senegal, as the group creates its own, original… read more about Kaira Ba (The Great Peace): West African music featuring ethnomusicology graduate student Jonathan Henderson »
Dark Holler was recorded November 3-4, 2013 in Baldwin Auditorium on Duke's East Campus as a collaboration between the Department of Music and Duke Performances. The album, released from New Focus Recordings on July 28, features members of the yMusic ensemble, as well as many Duke alumni and faculty, including: Tim Hambourger, piano (Ph.D., Composition, 2012); Sarah Griffin, violin 2 (Public Services Coordinator, music library… read more about David Kirkland Garner (Ph.D., Composition, 2014) releases new CD, "Dark Holler" »
The one-hour exhibit experience tells the story of the early space exploration and the astronauts who took part in them through 3D films, installations, mini-documentaries, and Augmented Reality. Kouneva's music, recorded with a large orchestra, is modern (hybrid) cinematic scoring -- encompassing drama, action, space, and inspirational themes. ORIGINAL MUSIC from the NASA Exhibit: "Heroes and Legends" - Gemini 8 "Heroes and Legends" - John GlennTrailer for "Heroes and Legends" -… read more about Alumna Penka Kouneva (Ph.D. 1997) composes music for NASA's "Heroes and Legends" exhibit »
Music Graduation 2017 Undergraduate Degrees Conferred First Major Jonathan Aisenberg, Highest Distinction: Composition, Filamentary, for Orchestra & Original Chamber WorksEmily LevinstoneYing Ni Nicole Wong Second Major Xiating ChenJake Grusd, High Distinction: Composition, excerpts from his opera, A Hero's Fall Minor Christopher Bernt Charles Boddie Erina Fujino Ilhan… read more about 2017 Music Department Graduates »
Department of Music Awards The Ann-Marie Parsons Memorial Prize: Justin Bryant This award was established in 1991 in memory of Ann-Marie Parsons (Trinity '92) and recognizes excellence in the field of jazz studies.The William Klenz Prize in Music Composition: Jonathan Aisenberg for Filamentary, for Orchestra & Original Chamber WorksThe Julia Wilkinson Prize for Excellence in Music: Melody Lin This award is named in honor… read more about 2017 Music Department Award Winners »
Her presentation was entitled, “Folksong Against the National Grain: Inventing Pan-Scandinavian Identity,” and derives in part from research towards her Ph.D. dissertation in progress. The AMS committee described Kirsten's paper as "superb (and superbly delivered)." read more about Kirsten Santos Rutschman awarded Best Student Paper 2016-17 by the Southeast Chapter of the American Musicological Society »
David Geng is a rising Junior pursuing a Mathematics major, Computer Science minor, and on the Pre-Medical Track. He is originally from Princeton, NJ and has been playing piano for 13 years. At Duke, he studies piano with Professor Randall Love. Most recently, David has been accepted into the semi-final round of the Washington Int’l Piano Competition (Ages 18 – 30), to be held in June where he will compete against 14 other semifinalists from top conservatories and professionals.… read more about Pianist David Geng (Class of '19) will perform at Carnegie Hall in May »
Read more about Boston Lyric Opera's production of The Marriage of Figaro, running April 28-May 7, 2017. Sara Womble is a 2016-2017 Emerging Artist with Boston Lyric Opera. She earned a MM in voice at Boston University, where she was a member of the Opera Theatre. At Duke, Sara studied voice with Elizabeth Linnartz and Susan Dunn and performed principal roles with the Duke Opera Workshop, soloed with the Duke Chorale, Chamber Players, New Music Ensemble, and the Choral Society of Durham. read more about Soprano Sara Womble (T '10) debuts this month with Boston Lyric Opera »
The public service for rock-n-roll legend Berry was held at the Pageant Concert Hall and Nightclub on April 9, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri. Berry died on March 18, 2017 at the age of 90. The details of the service were published in the New York Times.Watch the live recording of the memorial service. In addition to "Ave Maria," Hudson sang "Indian Love Call," "Trees," and "Night and Day." All were songs that had special meaning for Mr. Berry and his widow. Mrs. Berry had known Hudson's family for many years… read more about Soprano Marlissa Hudson (T '99) sings at memorial service for Chuck Berry »
Angel's Bone is a "bold, operatic work that integrates vocal and instrumental elements and a wide range of styles into a harrowing allegory for human trafficking in the modern world." Read the full description at pulitzer.org.John Brown is Director of the Jazz Program and Associate Professor of the Practice of Music, Duke University. The other distinguished jurors on the committee for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Music were Carol J. Oja (William Powell Mason Professor of Music, Harvard University… read more about John Brown serves on jury for 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Music »
John Brown, Director of the Duke Jazz Program, was performing with students and colleagues at a Duke Alumni event at the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture in late March. President and Mrs. Brodhead were also in attendance. read more about John Brown & students perform at Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture »
The volume is co-edited by Philip Rupprecht, with colleagues Felix Woerner (University of Basel) and Ullrich Scheideler (Humboldt-University, Berlin), and features 15 new chapters by North American and European scholars. Tonality Since 1950 documents the debate surrounding one of the most basic technical and artistic resources of music in the later 20th century. The flourishing of tonality – a return to key, pitch center, and consonance – in recent decades… read more about Philip Rupprecht, new co-edited volume, "Tonality Since 1950" »
Scott Lee also won Symphony In C's 2016-17 Young Composers' Competition for Vicious Circles. It was performed by Symphony In C on January 28, 2017.Vicious Circles was read in March 2016 by the North Carolina Symphony as part of a year-long engagement between the Duke University Department of Music and the NCS, including symposia, concerts, visiting composers and conductors, and courses devoted to the large ensemble and its repertoire. The program was made possible in part by a gift from… read more about Graduate composer Scott Lee receives 2017 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award »
In 2016, Professor Bailey won the Judith Tick Fellowship from the Society for American Music for research in women in American music. She was also the recipient of a 2015-16 National Endowment for the Humanities Faculty Award.Candace Bailey is Professor of Music at North Carolina Central University. read more about Candace Bailey (Ph.D. 1992) has received the Hampsong Fellowship in American Song for her project "Music in Charleston's Historic Homes" »
Clara graduated from Duke in 2011 with a double major in Music (concentration in flute performance) and Biology. After college, she taught seventh grade science through Teach For America in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and was also a teaching artist with the Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the New York Philharmonic, freelance flautist, and associate conductor of the Manhattan Wind Ensemble. Currently a student at Harvard Medical School, Clara is using her strengths in both music and medicine to advocate for equitable… read more about Clara Yang (T '11) receives Fulbright Graduate Degree Grant »
The Wiley Housewright Dissertation Award is designed to recognize a single dissertation on American music for its exceptional depth, clarity, significance, and overall contribution to the field. American music is interpreted in all its historical and contemporary styles and contexts, including, but not limited to art and popular musics, the musics of ethnic groups and minorities, and the full range of activities associated with music. "America" is understood here to embrace North America (Canada, The United States, and… read more about Darren Mueller (Ph.D. 2015) has been awarded the Wiley Housewright Dissertation Award by the Society for American Music »
"R. Larry Todd's engaging approach teaches students both how and why to listen, emphasizing the relevance of course content to students' lives and highlighting connections between music, history, and other art forms." -- Oxford University Press websiteR. Larry Todd is Arts & Sciences Professor of Music and former chair of the Music Department at Duke University. Among his books are Mendelssohn: A Life in Music (Oxford Univ. Press), named Best Biography of 2003 by the Association of American… read more about R. Larry Todd's new music textbook, "Discovering Music" »
In 2010, while a musicology graduate student at Duke, Angela Mace Christian obtained access to an original manuscript held in a private collection. She recognized Hensel's handwriting and musical style, but also that the pages she was holding were those missing from a volume of Hensel's works. Christian's discovery proved that the Easter Sonata was written by Hensel, rather than her brother, Felix, as had been previously thought. The presentation of the Easter Sonata under Hensel's name on International Women… read more about Royal College of Music performs Fanny Hensel's Easter Sonata, attributed to Hensel by Angela Mace Christian (Ph.D. musicology, 2013) »
Composer and Associate Professor John Supko (pictured with Provost Sally Kornbluth at the Langford luncheon on February 21) is one of three 2016-2017 winners of Duke's Thomas Langford Lectureship awards. He presented a lecture and selections from his compositions at the luncheon. MORE read more about John Supko receives a Thomas Langford Lectureship award »
Sid Richardson writes concert music that imbues modern idioms with emotional grit and cerebral wit. He has collaborated with ensembles such as The Da Capo Chamber Players, Ensemble Amarcord, and yMusic. He has engaged in projects with prominent soloists like saxophonists Susan Fancher and Branford Marsalis, violinist Jennifer Koh, and pianist Conrad Tao. His dissertation piece Red Wind sets the poetry of Nathaniel Mackey and features the poet himself along with soprano Mellissa Hughes and… read more about Sid Richardson receives Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters »