Duke Arts Presents is proud to announce the return of its three classical music series, including the flagship eight-concert Chamber Arts Series from the Chamber Arts Society of Durham, now in its 79th year. The Piano Recital Series and Vocal Ensemble Series return with four concerts each, allowing audiences to select from a variety of classical music experiences throughout the season. Concerts begin with the Tesla Quartet on Saturday, September 7 and run through May of 2025. The full schedule and lineup is included below.
In addition to the classical series, the full 2024-25 Duke Arts Presents Season will include a diverse array of global artists spanning various disciplines. Fall semester highlights include:
Music Maker Foundation: Celebrating 30 YearsWednesdays in September at 6:30 p.m. at American Tobacco Campus
Thursday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Page Auditorium
This five-concert celebration includes free concerts every Wednesday in September at American Tobacco Campus and will conclude with a concert in Page Auditorium on October 10 headlined by Taj Mahal, Dom Flemons and Jackson Browne.
Last Ward by Yaa Samar! Dance TheatreFriday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Reynolds Industries Theater
Saturday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Reynolds Industries Theater
Hailed as “an uncommonly deft combination of dance and verbal theater” in a New York Times Critics’ Pick review, Last Ward follows one man’s journey towards death in a hospital room. Surrounded by the sterile mechanisms of modern medicine, the patient reflects on his life, relationships and connection to place, as the ritual of doctor visits and family calls transform into a surreal landscape of tragedy and humor. Performed in Arabic with English subtitles, Last Ward was written and directed by Amir Nizar Zuabi with choreography and music by Samar Haddad King.
These two performances follow a week-long residency with the company at Duke University.
Adrianne LenkerFriday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m. in Page Auditorium
Adrianne Lenker, known for her work in both the indie-folk band Big Thief and as a solo artist, will perform in support of her latest album, Bright Future. The concert will open with a performance by poet and songwriter Suzanne Vallie.
Pick-4 subscriptions and the artist pre-sale for Adrianne Lenker will be available immediately. Single tickets for all events will be available on Thursday, June 20 at 11 a.m. Read below for more details on ticket sales.
Now in its 79th year, this popular series features eight concerts by world-renowned small ensembles selected by the Chamber Arts Society of Durham for the Duke Arts Presents season. The season opens with the acclaimed Tesla Quartet in their Duke debut. The innovative piano-percussion Vesna Duo follows with their “Roots and Rhizomes” program, which ends with their energetic take on Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.” Paris-based Modigliani Quartet returns to Duke in October with a wide-ranging program of works by Weber, Ravel and Beethoven. The semester ends with a “Beethoven Journey” program by Chamber Arts Series favorites David Finckel and Wu Han, a cello-piano duo who are leading figures in the American classical music scene.
After a brief winter break, concerts resume in March with the acclaimed young Goldmund Quartet making their Duke debut. UK luminaries the Elias String Quartet then performs a program of wrought, emotional string quartets by siblings Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn flanking “Entr’acte,” a 2011 piece by North Carolina-native Caroline Shaw. The trailblazing Zodiac Trio brings an exciting program of works by American composers performed in their unusual instrumentation of clarinet, violin and piano. Finally, the globally acclaimed Jerusalem Quartet returns to Duke Arts to close the season with works by Mozart, Shostakovich and Brahms.
1. Tesla Quartet on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.
2. Vesna Duo on Sunday, October 6, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.
3. Modigliani Quartet on Sunday, October 27, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.
4. David Finckel, cello and Wu Han, piano on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.
5. Goldmund Quartet on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
6. Elias String Quartet on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
7. Zodiac Trio on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.
8. Jerusalem Quartet on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
Each year, the piano recital series showcases the talents of four world-leading pianists in Baldwin Auditorium. This year’s series begins with German pianist and famed Bach interpreter Schanghajegh Nosrati in her Duke debut. Next, Korean pianist Joyce Yang returns to Duke for the first time in twelve years; since her last visit, she has blossomed from wünderkind into a mature and sensitive artist at the forefront of her craft. The third concert brings renowned American pianist Michelle Cann with “The Women of Chicago’s Black Renaissance,” a program that pairs Cann’s virtuosic playing with spoken commentary about the fascinating lives of its featured artists. The series closes with the Mexican piano prodigy Daniela Liebman, who at age twenty-one has already performed with over thirty orchestras on four continents.
1. Schaghajegh Nosrati on Sunday, September 29, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.
2. Joyce Yang on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.
3. Michelle Cann on Friday, February 21, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
4. Daniela Liebman on Sunday, March 30, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.
The Vocal Ensemble Series from Duke Arts Presents showcases the highest level of vocal talent from across the globe. The distinguished vocal ensembles in this year’s four-concert series illustrate the vast variety and dynamism of the choral artform.
The series begins with two leading British vocal ensembles. Tenebrae is scheduled to provide a moment of togetherness in Duke Chapel immediately following the 2024 general election. In December, a cappella octet VOCES8 will visit Baldwin Auditorium to perform “Winter Tales,” a program of holiday music spanning centuries, from medieval carols to “Let it Snow.” Over MLK weekend, American chamber choir Tonality performs “America Will Be,” a dynamic program that conjures a patriotic future of the United States for all people. And finally, German boys’ choir Thomanerchor Leipzig, founded in 1212, will close the season in Duke Chapel with a wide range of works by more than ten composers, including their most famous cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach.
1. Tenebrae on Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. in Duke Chapel
2. VOCES8 on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. in Baldwin Auditorium
3. Tonality: America Will Be on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in Duke Chapel
4. Thomanerchor Leipzig on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in Duke Chapel
Subscription renewals will be available on Friday, April 19 at 11 a.m. for current subscribers to the Chamber Arts, Piano Recital and Vocal Ensemble series. New subscriptions will be available for purchase beginning Tuesday, May 7 at 11 a.m., Pick-4 subscriptions become available on Thursday, June 6 and single tickets will be available starting Thursday, June 20.
The Chamber Arts Series subscription price is $300 for all eight concerts, seven for $262.50 or six for $225.
The Piano Recital Series subscription price is $108 for all four concerts.
The Vocal Ensemble Series subscription price is $112 for all four concerts.
Classical series subscribers save 20% off single ticket prices while accessing the best seats in the house. They will be able to purchase additional tickets for other season events for 20% off during the Pick-4 subscription window from June 6 – June 20.
The full season 2024-25 Duke Arts Presents season will be announced on Thursday, June 6, and tickets will be available immediately for Pick-4 subscribers (patrons who purchase tickets to four or more season events).
Single tickets will be available on Thursday, June 20 at 11 a.m.
Subscriptions and Single tickets will be available through dukearts.org and tickets.duke.edu
Duke Arts is committed to making the arts accessible to all. We are excited to announce that for the 2024-25 season:
· $10 student tickets will be offered to non-Duke students, including both high school and college students with valid IDs. Inventory may be limited for some events.
· The Duke employee discount is now 25%, an increase from 15%.
· $5 add-on children’s tickets will be available for select events.
· Tickets will be 20% off for the first two weeks of single ticket sales (from June 20 – July 3). (some exceptions may apply)