2024–2025 Concert Season
Duke University Chapel enriches the aesthetic landscape of Duke and Durham through its annual series of choral concerts, organ recitals, and other artistic events.
Find below a listing of concerts in the 2024–2025 season of Music at Duke Chapel. Through the generous support of our partners and the friends of Duke Chapel, many of these concerts are free and open to the public. Events requiring tickets are indicated below. Tickets can be purchased at the Duke University Box Office. To receive updates on Chapel Music concerts and programs, sign up for our email newsletter.
We hope that you’ll join us—for one event or many—and let these musical reflections refresh your soul.
Welcome from the Dean and the Director of Music
An anniversary provides an opportune time for reflection—to look back in gratitude at what has been while looking ahead in hope at what is to come. As Duke University’s centennial celebrations continue this year, the Music at Duke Chapel concert series looks backward and forward, reflecting on musical milestones in our programs, repertoire, and life together.
Centennial Founders’ Sunday celebrates the future of faith at Duke, with music honoring the diverse heritage of sacred song at Duke Chapel. Our Bach Cantata Series traces a chronological pilgrimage, including the 300th anniversary of some of Bach’s cantatas. In the Spring Oratorio, Evensong Singers Concert, and numerous worship services throughout the year, we commemorate the anniversaries of a score of great composers: American voices such as Aaron Copland, William Dawson, Emma Lou Diemer, Alice Parker, and Randall Thompson, as well as European musicians like Anton Bruckner, Gabriel Fauré, Giacomo Puccini, and C. V. Stanford.
We welcome numerous guest artists to the Chapel this year, several of them—Branford Marsalis, the United States Naval Academy Glee Club, conductor Pearl Shangkuan, and two organ recitalists—performing in this sacred space for the first time. Our Organ Recital Series concludes with a remarkable milestone, as we honor the nearly fifty-year legacy of University Organist Robert Parkins, performing on all three of Duke Chapel’s organs in his final solo recital.
All of these events—plus Handel’s Messiah, Jazz Vespers, carillon recitals, and more— await you in this season of Music at Duke Chapel. We hope that you’ll join us—for one event or many—and let these musical reflections refresh your soul.
Soli Deo Gloria.
The Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery
Dean of Duke University Chapel
Dr. Zebulon M. Highben
Director of Chapel Music
December 6, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. | December 7 at 3:00 p.m. | December 8 at 4:00 p.m.
Duke University Chapel Choir
Mallarmé Music
Zebulon M. Highben, conductor
Kathyrn Mueller, soprano
Lucia Bradford, mezzo soprano
Andrew Bearden Brown, tenor
Jonathan Woody, bass
Since 1933, Duke University Chapel has welcomed the holiday season with the sublime music of Messiah. From the haunting strains of “The people that walked in darkness” to the exuberant triumph of “Hallelujah” and “Worthy is the Lamb,” George Frideric Handel’s masterwork weaves a musical tapestry that recounts the story of Christ’s life, from birth through death and resurrection.
This year’s Messiah performances will be presented on period instruments with Baroque-era tuning. Each performance will include selections from Parts I, II, and III, and will last approximately two hours and fifteen minutes with intermission.
Purchase tickets through the Duke Box Office.
March 30, 2025, at 4:00 p.m.
Duke Chapel Choir
Duke Chorale
Amalgam Brass
Mallarmé Music
Allan Friedman, conductor
Zebulon M. Highben, conductor
The Duke Chapel Choir and the Duke Chorale join forces with Mallarmé Music and the Amalgam Brass for an afternoon of music celebrating American poets and composers, past and present.
The concert begins with Aaron Copland’s stirring Fanfare for the Common Man and a hope-filled setting of Walt Whitman verses from Leaves of Grass by composer Ola Gjeilo. A set of shorter works featuring contemporary American voices—including Caroline Shaw, Joel Thompson, Margaret Burk, and Mia Malhotra—comprise the center of the program, while Randall Thompson’s cantata A Feast of Praise and Copland’s “The Promise of Living” from The Tender Land form its exuberant conclusion.
Tickets will be sold through the Duke Box Office.
Sundays at 5:00 p.m.
A beloved cornerstone of the Chapel Music calendar, the Organ Recital Series showcases internationally acclaimed organists performing enduring favorites, modern masterpieces, and original improvisations. The Chapel’s Kathleen Upton Byrns McClendon Organ (Aeolian, 1932), Benjamin N. Duke Memorial Organ (Flentrop, 1976), and Brombaugh Organ (1997) are all featured in the series.
October 6, 2024: Alcee Chriss III, Organist at Trinity Church Wall Street
November 10, 2024: Stefan Engels, Organist at Southern Methodist University
February 16, 2025: James Kibbie, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan
Robert Parkins Final Concert | April 6, 2025
University Organist and a Professor of the Practice of Music, Robert Parkins was first appointed Duke Chapel Organist in the fall of 1975. His solo recordings have appeared on the Calcante, Gothic, Loft, Musical Heritage Society, and Naxos labels. The last release (Salome’s Dance) elicited the following remark from The American Organist: “His playing is elegant, with a freely flowing musicality that goes far beyond mere technical mastery.” Dr. Parkins’s farewell recital at Duke will feature repertoire he performed at dedicatory concerts of the Chapel’s Brombaugh, Flentrop, and renovated Aeolian organs—including early Spanish and south German music as well as works by Scheidt, Buxtehude, Pierné, Franck, and Gigout.
Sundays at 5:00 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s church cantatas are often considered the pinnacle of German sacred music, works whose theological depth and emotional resonance touch deep places in the human soul. This year, we follow Bach through the various stages of his career, from his earliest appointments in Arnstadt and Mühlhausen, to Weimar, and to the culmination of his work in Leipzig. Each place and each employment offered Bach different opportunities to focus his creative energies.
September 15, 2024: Arnstadt & Mühlhausen: Chamber Cantatas
Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (BWV 106)
Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir (BWV 131)
Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich (BWV 150)
Pre-concert talk at 4:00 p.m. in Goodson Chapel.
October 20, 2024: Leipzig I: Reformation Music
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (BWV 80)
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (BWV 720)
Was mein Gott will, das g’scheh allzeit (BWV 111)
Pre-concert talk at 4:00 p.m. in Goodson Chapel.
December 1, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. during Sunday morning service: Leipzig II: Advent
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 62)
February 2, 2025: Leipzig III: Solo Cantatas
Ich habe genug (BWV 82)
Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen (BWV 56)
Pre-concert talk at 4:00 p.m. in Goodson Chapel.
April 13, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. during Choral Evensong: Weimar: Vespers for Palm Sunday
Himmelskönig, sei willkommen (BWV 182)
Duke Chapel’s fifty-bell carillon is among the oldest and largest such instruments in the American South. Both the instrument and the recital series are named in honor of the late J. Samuel Hammond (1947–2021), University Carillonneur Emeritus, who played Duke’s carillon from 1964 until his retirement in 2018. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, and enjoy the music from the beautiful surroundings of Abele Quad. These recitals will be presented rain or shine, and will also be streamed live.
September 22, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.: Aaron Colston, Duke Chapel Carillonneur
April 27, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.: Ellen Dickinson, University Carillonist, Yale University and Trinity College (Hartford)
March 15, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.
The United States Naval Academy Glee Club is comprised of The USNA Men’s Glee Club, which has achieved prominence as one of the world’s premier men’s choruses, and The USNA Women’s Glee Club, which is the only all-female military choral ensemble in the world.
The Glee Clubs often perform masterpieces of choral-orchestral literature combining with the nation’s leading orchestras.
Appearances on network television include The Kennedy Center Honors (CBS), The Today Show (NBC), The Early Show (CBS), Christmas in Washington (NBC and TNT), and Good Morning America (ABC). In the past decade alone, the Glee Clubs have performed extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad, including Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Japan as well as on several European tours.
January 17, 2025, starting at 8:00 a.m.
in Goodson Chapel, Duke Divinity School
For centuries, monastic orders and other faith communities have prayed the Psalms cyclically from beginning to end. The musical character of the Psalms has long been expressed through various settings—from simple chant to congregational antiphons, responsive readings to complex choral settings.
On January 17, you are invited to join musicians and worship leaders from Duke Chapel as we pray the book of Psalms from beginning to end. A variety of musical settings will be paired with a new English translation of the texts created by Dr. Ellen F. Davis, Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School and a member of Duke Chapel’s National Advisory Board. This translation is being prepared for inclusion in The Chapel Hymnal, a new resource from Duke University Chapel scheduled for publication in 2025–2026.
The cycle will begin with Psalm 1 at 8:00 a.m. and continue throughout the day with brief breaks after every ten psalms, and a longer break at the noon hour. The entire experience is expected to take between eight and ten hours. Participants are welcome to come and go, and stay for as little or as long as they wish.
January 25, 2025, from 9:00 a.m.–noon
Church choir singers and directors are invited to the Chapel’s second annual sacred choral clinic, featuring Dr. Pearl Shangkuan, an internationally renowned conductor and pedagogue, who is Professor Emerita at Calvin University and national president-elect of the American Choral Directors Association.
Participants will sing with the Duke Chapel Choir and other choirs from around North Carolina, as Dr. Shangkuan teaches vocal techniques and introduces choral repertoire appropriate for the upcoming liturgical seasons.
Registration will be made available here.
Over the past ten years, Jazz Vespers has become a beloved tradition at Duke Chapel. Sing, rest, pray, and celebrate in these worship services combining the ancient Christian tradition of evening vespers services with the aural idioms of Black sacred music, including jazz, gospel, and the spirituals.
November 14, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.: The John Brown Little Big Band
February 27, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.: Branford Marsalis
Duke Arts Presents
This season, Duke Chapel is pleased to host three concerts from Duke Arts Presents' Vocal Ensemble Series. Learn more about the 2024–25 Duke Arts Presents season.
November 7, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.: Tenebrae
January 18, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.: Tonality: America Will Be
March 11, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.: Thomanerchor Leipzig
Learn more and purchase tickets.
Highlights for this year's 11:00 a.m. Sunday services:
September 29, 2024: Centennial Founders’ Sunday Service
In this centennial year, we mark homecoming weekend and the founding of Duke University with this festive worship service celebrating the university’s motto, Eruditio et Religio (“Knowledge and Religion”). Leaders from Duke Chapel, Duke Divinity School, and the broader University will be joined by the Duke Chapel Choir, the Durham Children’s Choir, the Amalgam Brass, pianist Patrice Turner, bassist John V. Brown, and others as we lift our voices in prayer and song. A reception on Abele Quad will follow the service.
November 3, 2024: All Saints' Sunday featuring Giacomo Puccini’s Requiem
November 24, 2024: Christ the King with the Amalgam Brass
December 1, 2024: First Sunday of Advent featuring J. S. Bach’s Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 62)
January 26, 2025: Third Sunday after Epiphany with Dr. Pearl Shangkuan, guest conductor
April 20, 2025: Easter Sunday with the Amalgam Brass. Services at 9:00 & 11:00 a.m.
Choral Evensong
Sundays at 4:00 p.m.
2024
August 25
September 8, 22
October 13, 27
November 3, 24
December 15
2025
January 12, 26
February 9, 23*
March 9, 23
April 13, 20, 27
* Evensong Singers annual concert
Compline
Thursdays at 9:00 p.m.
2025
March 13, 20, 27
April 3, 10
Special Services
2024
October 6 at 3:00 p.m.: Blessing of the Animals
October 31 at 10:30 p.m.: All Hallows’ Eve
November 3 at 4:00 p.m.: All Saints' Requiem Eucharist
December 12 at 7:00 p.m.: Advent Lessons & Carols
December 24 at 11:00 p.m.: Christmas Eve Lessons & Carols
2025
January 5 at 4:00 p.m.: Epiphany Lessons & Carols
March 5 at 7:00 p.m.: Ash Wednesday
April 17 at 7:00 p.m.: Maundy Thursday
April 18 at 7:30 p.m.: Good Friday Tenebrae
Supporters and Sponsors
We are once again grateful for the many supporters who make this season possible, including:
Duke Chapel Choir and Chapel Music Endowment
Director of Chapel Music Endowment
—
Agnus Dei Endowment Fund
Amy Geissinger Chapel Choir Quasi-Endowed Scholarship Fund
Barbara-Jean Ross Jones Music Education Fund
Carl A. Herring Carillon Endowment
CB Richardson Chapel Endowment Fund
Charles B. Wade Oratorio Endowment for Duke Chapel
Donald and Hazel Jansen Wallis Endowment
F. M. Kirby Foundation Endowment Fund for Chapel Music
Frances Wilson Leavenworth Endowment
Hurst Family Chapel Endowment
J. Benjamin Smith Endowment Fund
J. Foster Barnes Endowment
J. Horst & Ruth Mary Meyer Fund for Duke Chapel
James and Helen Burnett Coppridge Endowment Fund
Jefferson W. Kirby Duke Chapel Choir Scholarship Endowment Fund
John O. Blackburn Chapel Oratorio Fund
Kathleen Upton Byrns McClendon Aeolian Organ Fund
Marvin Boren and Elvira Lowe Smith Memorial Endowment Fund
Mary Duke Biddle Foundation Chapel Oratorio Endowment
Mildred Clusman Phillips Duke Chapel Choir Endowment
Mildred L. Hendrix Endowment
Professor Paul Young Endowment Fund
Roy A. Goss Memorial Fund
The Klove Family Fund
Thomas C. Clark Fund for Chapel Choral Music
Vereen Family Endowment for Choral Vespers
Waldo Beach Hymnody Endowment Fund
William Arthur Higgins Choir Scholarship Endowment Fund
... and the many friends of Chapel Music who generously support our program every year.