Brittany Green, a current graduate student in Composition, and Sid Richardson (PhD Composition, 2018) were two of four composers chosen as winners of this year's Transient Canvas fellowship. Green and Richardson will each receive a stipend of $1000, three performances of their works, audio/video recordings of the premiere performance, and workshops with Transient Canvas. Boston-based contemporary duo Transient Canvas is on a mission to revolutionize the modern concert… read more about Brittany Green and Sid Richardson named 2021 Transient Canvas Composition Fellows »
The department congratulates our 2021 Music Majors & Minors. Learn more about each of our graduates by clicking their name below and viewing a poster highlighting some of their academic achievements. Majors Alexander Kintzer - Interdepartmental Major: Neuroscience/Music Concentration Jasmine Leahy - Interdepartmental Major: Neuroscience/Music Concentration Steven Oh - Interdepartmental Major: Computer Science/Music Concentration Minors Naman Agarwal, Annalise Bracher, Tyler Davidson, Ryan Gomez,… read more about Meet the Class of 2021 Music Majors and Minors »
On March 11, 2021 at 1:30 pm EST, Budinich's White Stone (after Agnes Martin) for violin and electronics has its Danish premiere as part of the PULSAR Festival at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen.Watch the performance. Kate Dreyfuss premiered White Stone as part of her residency with the Duke New Music Ensemble [dnme] in November 2019.James Budinich is in residence at the Royal Danish Academy of Music for the Spring 2021 semester, conducting research for his dissertation… read more about Graduate composer James Budinich's "White Stone" premieres at the Royal Danish Academy of Music »
The new CD, Joseph Joachim: Two Fantasies Rediscovered, released on the Soundset label, features Uhde as a soloist with the Radio Orchestra Warsaw. View the CD trailer. In 2016, Uhde rediscovered the two early fantasies, composed in the 1850s. “Fantasies on Hungarian and Irish [Scottish] Themes” was Joachim's first virtuoso music for the violin with orchestral accompaniment. Bärenreiter published Fantasy on Hungarian Themes (1850), Fantasy on Irish [Scottish] Themes (… read more about Katharina Uhde (PhD musicology, 2014) releases CD of rediscovered works by Joseph Joachim »
On February 21, violin students Margaret Lim (pictured), Annalise Bracher, and Charlie Todd participated in an in-person masterclass with visiting artist James Ehnes. This was followed by a piano masterclass where students Aram Lindroth and Debosir Ghosh had the opportunity to interact with Orion Weiss. Both masterclasses took place in Baldwin Auditorium and, while the performers interacted with the… read more about Students participate in masterclasses with visiting artists James Ehnes & Orion Weiss »
As part of its event series tgiFHI, the Franklin Humanities Institute is conducting interviews with its faculty speakers in order to familiarize broader audiences with the diversity of research approaches in the humanities, arts, and interpretive social sciences at Duke University. Philip Rupprecht is Professor of Music. In this edited and condensed interview, he describes the power of the press, the BBC, and other cultural institutions in mediating British musical culture, and how his own research… read more about Meet Your Humanities Faculty: Philip Rupprecht »
As children, many of us learn to sing "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." But despite the familiarity of this tune, few of us realize that what we're singing is actually part of a pervasive - and centuries-old - musical scheme. This particular pattern, the "Sweet Thing" scheme, has generated a large group of songs spanning a broad range of topics, genres, and time periods, but all related through a specific stanzaic form. Early twentieth-century blues songs "My Babe" and "Motherless Children," country songs… read more about Nicholas Stoia's book, "Sweet Thing: The History and Musical Structure of a Shared American Vernacular Form," released by Oxford University Press »
Twenty-three singers attended the informal conversation, Purposeful Preparation and Meaningful Collaboration, with Jennifer Johnson Cano on February 2, 2021. The event was hosted by Duke Opera Theater for voice students in the Music Department. David Heid, director of Duke Opera Theater, was excited to be able to facilitate this opportunity. "Jennifer is able to bring such a fresh perspective from the outside to so many areas that impact all singers. From concrete help on… read more about Renowned mezzo soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano holds virtual Q&A with Duke voice students »
[dnme] announces a community project for the Spring 2021 semester: String players at all levels and ages welcome to participate in a PLAY ALONG of Steven Bryant’s The Low Arc of the Sun.Important dates: Saturday, March 6, 2-3:30pm EST: zoom rehearsal/meet the composer/question session (zoom information will be sent via email)Monday, March 22: audio/video recording submission due Sign up here if… read more about [dnme]: Call for student and community string players »
The video of the performance, which was streamed and is still available to view, begins with a Q&A with Keesecker.The Impetuous Winds was written in 2008 for a composition workshop with visiting horn quartet Quadre, while horn player Jamie Keesecker was studying for his Masters in Composition at the University of Oregon. Quadre were struck by the drama and excitement in the work, and took it into their repertoire, including it on their album Our Time. The whole range of the… read more about Jamie Keesecker's (Ph.D. composition, 2016) work "The Impetuous Winds" performed at the Sound Festival in Scotland »
He has played piano since age 10, and has previously competed in a number of national and international piano competitions. A Music major with a concentration in Piano Performance, he studies with David Heid and is also on a Pre-Med track. read more about Ted Choi wins Second Place in the 2021 Camerata International Artists competition »
Borne by a Wind will be released on February 12, 2021 on New Focus Recordings. The works on this debut portrait album are in many cases a direct outgrowth of collaborations made during Richardson's time as a Ph.D. student in Composition at Duke University. Recorded and mixed by Rick Nelson at Duke with support from the Duke University Department of Music, the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts, and Duke Performances. Mastered by Ryan Streber at Oktaven Audio; album design by… read more about Sid Richardson (Ph.D. composition, 2018) releases new CD, Borne by a Wind »
Courtney Liu '13, MFA in Dance '21, shares "Blurring the Lines" created with undergraduate students in Intermediate Ballet. "Creative projects are still being made and it is more important than ever to share, engage with, and celebrate each other's work," shares Emma Geiger, MFA EDA '22, who collaborated on filming and editing. Part of our “Art and Artists are Essential” collection and invitation. Intermediate Ballet (Dance 122) completed the Fall 2020 semester by producing “Blurring the Lines.” This short dance… read more about Blurring the Lines: Collective Resonance During COVID-19 »
Last year, a dozen Duke University doctoral students used Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grants (GSTEG) to acquire new skills, knowledge or experiences that will enhance their original research. In these excerpts from their reports, students reflect on what they learned. Jacqueline Allain, Ph.D. in History Birthing Imperial Citizens I used my GSTEG grant to attend the Caribbean Philosophical Association (CPA) Summer School. During this week-long program, I attended seminars led by important scholars of critical… read more about Doctoral Students Gain New Perspectives on Their Research »
Last year, five Duke University faculty members set out to build skills and add new dimensions to their work. In these excerpts from their Faculty Teaching/Research Enhancement Grants (FTREG) reports, they share what they undertook and how these experiences will help them and their students. Improvisation Jody McAuliffe, Theater Studies and Slavic & Eurasian Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences I took the Summer Intensive in improvisation offered at the iO Theater in Chicago. Widely considered the premier… read more about Five Scholars Find Creative Ways to Strengthen Their Research and Teaching »
Four Duke flutists participated in the Raleigh Area Flute Association Review and Contest on November 8, 2020, competing against students from universities across North Carolina. Annie Cui was awarded Honorable Mention in the Collegiate Division 7, and Sarah Tan (pictured at right) was Winner of Division 7. Since the contest had to take place virtually this year, the winners were asked to submit a recording of a portion of their repertoire from the contest to be listed in a… read more about Sarah Tan wins Division 7 (Collegiate Division) of the 2020 Raleigh Area Flute Association Review and Contest »
Triangulations features works for solo khaen by Adler and fellow alumnus Sidney Marquez Boquiren (Ph.D. composition, 1999), as well as Christopher Burns, David Loeb, Vera Ivanova, Yu Kuwabara, and Jeff Herriott. About Triangulations, Adler writes, "I began researching traditional khaen music in 1994, and composing original works in 1996. This new collection showcases the creative imaginations of composers who have taken up the challenge to write for an instrument with… read more about Christopher Adler (Ph.D. composition, 1999) releases new CD, Triangulations »
Jasmine Leahy is the Undergraduate Representative for the Music Department. An Interdisciplinary Major in Neuroscience and Music, Jasmine is a trumpet and guitar player and President of the Wind Symphony. Read more about Jasmine.Ella Han is a senior graduating in December 2020. A double-major in Music and Public Policy, she studies violin with Prof. Eric Pritchard and music theory with Prof. Anthony Kelley. Ella plans to complete her Secondary Teacher Preparation Program at Duke… read more about Meet undergraduate representative Jasmine Leahy and graduating senior Ella Han »
One evening this fall, Jonathan Bagg was walking on East Campus when he heard the music of a brass quartet coming from somewhere under the trees. With the threat of COVID-19 pushing the student musicians out of rehearsal spaces in the Biddle Music Buildings, the outdoor serenade was a reminder that life in Duke’s Music Department has been especially different. “Clearly they were having the greatest time being outside,” said Bagg, professor of the practice and chair of the Music Department . … read more about Keeping the Music Flowing in a Pandemic »
Philip Rupprecht has received the first annual Publication Award from the Society for Music’s Theory’s Post-1945 Music Analysis Interest Group for his article “Rhythmic Dignity: Motive, Signal, and Flux in the Music of James Dillon,” published in Musiktheorie, vol. 34, no. 4 (2019). The essay explores Dillon’s elastic shaping of pulse in the complex, groove-like textures of Ti.Re-Ti.Ke-Dha for percussion (1979) and Spleen for piano… read more about Philip Rupprecht receives the first annual Post-1945 Music Analysis IG Publication Award »
Karen Messina's Ph.D. dissertation, “Dramatic Impulse: Diegetic Music in the Operas of Giacomo Puccini,” includes chapter-length studies of the operas Manon Lescaut, La bohème, and Tosca, framed by an original account of concepts of diegetic music in film and opera. In addition to opera, Messina’s research interests include film music, pedagogy, and music theory. She is a Lecturer in Music Theory in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina--… read more about Congratulations to Karen Messina on the completion of her Ph.D. in Musicology »
When COVID hit last spring, many graduate students had to give up their summer plans for teaching, field research and internships. The Provost’s Office quickly pledged support, and Vice Provost Ed Balleisen spearheaded the effort to identify virtual opportunities. Experiential fellowships with eight host organizations and research assistantships with more than 20 Duke units provided summer funding and career development for all 59 Ph.D. students in need. Every student who responded to Duke’s end-of-summer evaluation would… read more about Duke Ph.D. Students Find Unexpected Benefits in an Unusual Summer »
Last summer, Hye-Bin (Monica) Song recorded her own composition, Blanche-Neige, in Bösendorfer Hall at Ruggero Piano in Raleigh, NC. She also recorded Francis Poulenc's Piano Sonata for Four Hands, and Edward Burlingame Hill's Jazz Study No. 1. All three of these videos are part of Song's One Pianist at Two Pianos series, in which she used recording technology to perform four hands duets with herself using two of… read more about Hye-Bin (Monica) Song: One pianist at two pianos »
On November 5, three groups of students in the Chamber Music Program participated in a virtual masterclass with Attacca Quartet. The students were socially-distanced in Baldwin Auditorium and interacted with the members of Attacca through Zoom. View more photos Jacques Quartet (Allen Zhang and Claire Li, violins; Karina Ng, viola; Jean-Luc Rabideau, cello) began the class, performing the Allegro moderato from Dvořák's String Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106. … read more about Chamber music students participate in virtual masterclass with Attacca Quartet »
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ethnomusicology and Sound Studies Duke University Application Deadline: 2020/12/01 Duke University seeks a candidate for a one-year teaching Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ethnomusicology, beginning 1 July 2021, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. While the specific area of specialization is open, candidates should be versatile in music and cultural anthropology. Preference will be given to those whose work is sound focused and addresses structural inequities through… read more about Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ethnomusicology and Sound Studies »
The Duke University Musical Instrument Collections new blog, When Jubal Struck the Corded Shell, was created in direct response to the ongoing pandemic. Its purpose is to showcase choice instruments, oddities, art, and media within the collections housed on campus, fostering camaraderie and community through musical exploration on a digital stage.The blog's first feature, Mandolin Culture in Boston, ca. 1900, was written by Duke Ph.D. Candidate in Musicology Nick Smolenski… read more about DUMIC introduces new blog, "When Jubal Struck the Corded Shell" »
While Sussman joined in via Zoom, students presented socially-distanced performances in the Nelson Music Room. Although they were spread throughout the hall, the Nelson Music Room provides an intimacy that allowed all the students, participants and observers, to be engaged in the experience. In these photos, Lauren Cao plays the third movement (Rondo: Allegro) from Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61. Allen Zhang also performed two movements from JS Bach's Partita #2 and Charlie… read more about Students participate in violin masterclass with Arnaud Sussmann »
"The Canary Who Sang" is described as "a politically-inspired piece drawing parallels between the historical canaries in coal mines and today's whistleblowers: a musical testament on how one voice can potentially disrupt a larger society." In addition to Kinney's piece, Playing On The Edge 2 (Navona Records) features works by Bruce Babcock, Roger Fong, Daniel Burwasser, John Summers, and Gregory J. Harris.Dayton Kinney is a doctoral candidate in Music Composition at… read more about Dayton Kinney's music featured on new CD from Sirius Quartet »
On November 13, 2020, composer Scott Lee will release Through the Mangrove Tunnels on Panoramic Recordings, an imprint of New Focus Recordings. Through the Mangrove Tunnels, performed by the JACK Quartet with pianist Steven Beck and drummer Russell Lacy, is a 45-minute work inspired by Lee… read more about Scott Lee (Ph.D. composition, 2018) releases new CD, "Through the Mangrove Tunnels" »