Duke Jazz Ensemble with guest artist Javon Jackson, saxophone

This video premiered on Saturday, January 15 at 7:30 pm EST.

On December 3, 2021 the Duke Jazz Ensemble welcomed guest artist Javon Jackson to the stage in Baldwin Auditorium. For its first release of 2022, the Best of Biddle virtual series brings you a video of that performance.

The Duke Jazz Ensemble is directed by John V. Brown. The associate director is Evan Roberson.

View the program of the December 3 concert online at https://music.duke.edu/sites/music.duke.edu/files/documents/Jazz%20program%2012_3.pdf.

“Javon adds a modern twist to the music we grew up with. Everybody get ready for a funky good time.” – Branford Marsalis

Tenor Saxophonist Javon Jackson came into international prominence touring and recording with the legendary drummer Art Blakey as a member of his band, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Symbolizing a new generation of musicians that blended tradition with neo-jazz, Jackson went on to release 16 recordings as a band leader and tour and record over 135 CDs with jazz greats including Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Charlie Haden, Betty Carter, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, Donald Byrd, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Richard Davis, Bobby Hutcherson, Curtis Fuller, Joanne Brackeen, Stanley Turrentine, and Ben E. King.

Duke Symphony Orchestra with pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute

This video premiered on Friday, December 17 at 7:30 pm EST.

Pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K 488 with the Duke Symphony Orchestra, directed by Harry Davidson.

This concert was performed on December 1 in Baldwin Auditorium, and also featured the Overture to Haydn’s “L’Isola Disabitata” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major. View the complete program.

Prof. Jokubaviciute has performed in prestigious halls such as Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Wigmore Hall, and the Kennedy Center. She is a faculty member of the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival and School, has toured nationally with Musicians from Marlboro, and collaborates in recitals with violinist Midori in Europe, Asia, and South America. She joined the Duke Music faculty last year as Associate Professor of the Practice.

[dnme] Duke New Music Ensemble: Fall 2021

This video premiered on Friday, December 10 at 7:30 pm EST.

On November 19, [dnme] presented a concert of experimental, avant-garde works. The program featured a wide-range of works for acoustic instruments, voices, electronics, and chocolate by composers Julius Eastman, inti logan figgis-vizueta, Pauline Oliveros, and Mieko Shiomi, along with a multimedia premiere by Duke graduate student Minato Sakamoto. View the complete program.

[dnme] is under the direction of Brittany J. Green and features performers Quran Karriem, Jerry Liu, Arvind Mallikarjunan, Brandon Nutt, Irene Qiao, and Kenneth Stewart.

Duke University Wind Symphony: Points of Reflection

This video premiered on Saturday, December 4 at 7:30 pm EST.

The Duke University Wind Symphony’s Fall 2021 concert cycle concluded on November 18 with a program entitled “Points of Reflection.” The music on this concert was inspired by a quote from the program note of “Stillwater,” by Kelijah Dunton:

“We as people forget sometimes that we are so much more deep and vast beneath our hard surfaces. We work, we go to school, we take care of our families, we deal with the struggles of the day-to-day routine militantly. But, if we just take a moment to listen within ourselves; we discover our passions, our longings, and our sense of belonging.”

This concert aimed to offer all in attendance the opportunity to reflect on these aspects of life. View the program at https://music.duke.edu/sites/music.duke.edu/files/documents/Wind_Symphony_11_18.pdf.

J. Benjamin Jones was interim director of the Duke University Wind Symphony for the Fall 2021 semester and conducts the ensemble in this concert.

On the Persistence of the Spiritual in Black Music with tenor Albert Lee

This video premiered on Saturday, November 13 at 7:30 pm EST.

On October 22, Duke Music and the Humanities Unbounded Lab, “Black Music and the Soul of America” presented “On the Persistence of the Spiritual in Black Music” in Baldwin Auditorium.

Tenor Albert Lee (pictured); the Ciompi Quartet; Duke Chorale, conducted by Rodney Wynkoop; NCCU Vocal Jazz Ensemble, conducted by Lenora Helms Hammonds; cellist Timothy Holley, and pianist Anthony Kelley performed works by Florence Price, Olly Wilson, William Banfield, and others. View the program.

The Best of Biddle virtual series brings you a recording of that outstanding concert.

The Duke Jazz Ensemble with Jason Marsalis, percussionist

This video premiered on Saturday, October 23 at 7:30 pm EDT.

On Friday, October 15, the Duke Jazz Ensemble performed a concert with special guest Jason Marsalis for Duke’s Family Weekend 2021. The Best of Biddle virtual series is pleased to bring you a recording of that concert. John V. Brown is the  Director of the Duke Jazz Ensemble and Evan Roberson is the ensemble’s Associate Director.

View the program online.

Faculty/Student Gala Concert: Fall 2021

This video premiered on Saturday, September 25 at 7:30 PM EDT.

On September 18, Duke Music celebrated the beginning of a new academic year with a Faculty/Student Gala Concert in Baldwin Auditorium featuring the Duke Chorale, Ciompi Quartet, Duke University Saxophone Quartet, and voice faculty members Ted Federle, Elizabeth Linnartz, & Sandra Cotton with pianist Daniel Seyfried. We are excited to share this concert with you as the first release of the Best of Biddle virtual series 2021-2022.

View the complete program.

Duke Opera Theater: Flute & Figaro al Fresco

This video premiered on Friday, April 30 at 7:30 pm EDT.

“Flute & Figaro al Fresco” features staged scenes from Mozart’s Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro filmed outside the Biddle Music Building on Duke’s East Campus.

 

View the video trailer for The Magic Flute.

View the video trailer for The Marriage of Figaro.

Conceived by director David Heid and featuring pianist Daniel Seyfried, this homage to silent films is a creative, theatrical and comic response to the limitations placed on performances by the Covid-19 pandemic. The soundtrack, sung in English, was recorded one voice at a time in Baldwin Auditorium with the filming and editing of the video done by Rick Nelson, with additional footage shot by Ryan Harrison. This unique 35 minute film is fast-paced and engaging, demonstrating the creativity and resilience of Duke student vocalists and breaking new ground for creative opera presentations in the future. This video release includes a behind the scenes chat with Opera Theater director David Heid and pianist Dan Seyfried following the film.

Featuring Matthew Bao, Heather Berman, Charlie Bonetti, Alexa Burnston, Devon Carter, Francesca Herrera, Alex Kintzer, Bryn Lawson, Julia Leeman, Sophia Leeman, Elliott Loverin, Jia Jia Shen, Roy Thompson, Rebecca Williamson, Priya Zahrt, and Xuanyu Zhou.

Duke Chorale Spring Concert

This video premiered on Friday, March 26 at 7:30 pm EDT.

View the program, with texts and translations.

The Duke Chorale, directed by Rodney Wynkoop, presents its annual Spring concert virtually this year. Recorded in Baldwin Auditorium adhering to all distancing and safety protocols, the Duke Chorale brings you a diverse selection from Renaissance pieces to contemporary works, including American folk songs and spirituals.

March Student Showcase

This video premiered on Friday, March 12 at 7:30 pm EST.

View the online program with additional information about the performers.

The first half of the video features recordings made last month in Baldwin Auditorium by two current Duke piano students. Andre Hall performs three bagatelles by Duke faculty composer Anthony Kelley, Beethoven, and Tcherepnin, and Bryan Tong performs three excerpts from Brahms’ Op. 118 (Intermezzo in C, Intermezzo in A, Ballade in G Minor).

The second half of the program takes us back to Spring 2016 and a live recording made in Baldwin Auditorium. Senior Jenny Li was the winner of the 2015-16 Duke Symphony Orchestra’s concerto competition, and she performed the first movement of Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 with the Duke Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Harry Davidson on April 13, 2016. Whether you were in Baldwin on that evening or seeing this performance for the first time, please join us as we relive that moment in Duke Music’s history, looking forward to the time when we can again welcome you back to live events in our venues.