The 2025-26 Season includes Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience, Taylor Mac’s Holiday Sauce, and more

Duke Arts Presents will launch its upcoming season with a vibrant week of performances and programs from September 2–7, 2025—spanning cutting-edge technology, visual art, comedy, classical and contemporary music, and genre-defying performance. Duke Arts Opening Week sets the tone for a season that bridges tradition and innovation, connects campus and community, and explores how the arts shape our understanding of the world and the people around us.

“Our first week embodies what makes Duke Arts so special: world-class artists from across the globe and Durham bringing both academic conversations and the joy of gathering together.”

Aaron Shackelford, Duke Arts Director of Programming

“All of these artists spur compelling intellectual reflections while also providing space for our remarkable communities to share and celebrate with each other,” says Shackelford.

Beyond Opening Week, Duke Arts is highlighting three standout events taking place this fall – just a glimpse of a full season of joy, reflection, artistic excellence, and bold new work.

Opening Week: September 2–7, 2025

The season opens on Tuesday, September 2 with two free events in the Rubenstein Arts Center. Meet GPT-ME is a provocative interactive performance by Avital Meshi, who uses wearable technology to transform into a hybrid AI-human entity and invites audience members into conversation: “would you like to speak with me, or with GPT-ME?” Upstairs, audiences can stop by opening night of The Merx Tree, a temporary sculpture by Colombian artist and engineer Miler Lagos. Resembling a Ceiba tree base—significant to Mesoamerican and Amazonian mythology—the piece is carved out of cardboard boxes collected on Duke’s campus.

On Wednesday, September 3, Duke Arts is proud to partner with Hayti Heritage Center to present the first of four free concerts under the Lucky Strike Water Tower at American Tobacco Campus. Continuing the 4^th annual “Duke Arts at American Tobacco” series, this year’s artists will be selected in celebration of the Center’s 50^th anniversary and their mission to preserve the heritage and embrace the experiences of Americans of African descent. Duke Arts returns to Duke campus on Thursday, September 4 with groundbreaking stand-up comedian Atsuko Okatsuka in Page Auditorium.

The week culminates with two powerhouse performances that showcase the wide musical range of the violin. On Saturday, acclaimed violinist Rachel Barton Pine will open the 80^th Anniversary season of the Chamber Arts Series in Duke’s acclaimed Baldwin Auditorium. The magnetic musical polymath Sudan Archives will close out the week on Sunday in Page Auditorium with an unforgettable genre-blurring concert.

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“These performances came from extensive conversations with faculty and our Durham community to understand the artists and experiences that would have the greatest positive impact on our students, faculty, and neighbors. Each of these artists is working at the highest level, making work that tells vital stories in 2025 and represents the commitment of Duke Arts to be a leader in showing what the arts can bring to both a university and a city.”

Aaron Shackelford, Duke Arts Director of Programming

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All events and exhibitions are part of a broader 2025–26 season that will be announced in full on May 15, 2025. Flexible Pick-4 packages go on sale May 20, and single tickets open to the public June 17.

In addition, new subscriptions are available today, April 17, to the 80th Anniversary Chamber Arts Series announced last month. Chamber Arts Series Subscriptions Are Available Now: Learn more →

Stay tuned for the full season announcement—and get ready to see what’s next. Don’t miss an update – sign up now for the Duke Arts Presents newsletter:

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