Experience Duke Performances' Schola Cantorum de Venezuela in Duke Chapel for $5

Durham's cultural diversity yields many benefits for residents and visitors alike.  Performers and artists from around the world come here to share their talents - a fact driven in part by the two universities that call Durham home, Duke and NCCU.  Periodically, those benefits are placed more within reach for everyone.  Just such an occasion is upcoming with Duke Performances presentation of the acclaimed Latin American chorus Schola Cantorum de Venezuela. .

In an effort to bring out the biggest audience for this wonderful and important 40-voice ensemble, Duke Performances is making all tickets to the concert available for only $5. 

The reduction in ticket price comes with the intent to give a broad range of the Triangle community the opportunity to experience world-class singing amidst the soaring Gothic architecture of Duke Chapel.

Schola Cantorum is Latin America's finest choir and one of the most in-demand vocal ensembles in the world. The program for Nov. 9 — Agua Y Fiesta — features music by composers from Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Cuba, Mexico, and the USA — amongst them Eric Whitacre, Osvaldo Golijov, and Astor Piazzolla.  Every Schola Cantorum concert is a vivid cultural and musical experience — the ensemble brings infectious passion to everything they sing.

The show is on Wednesday, November 9, at 8 pm and tickets are available online, or by calling 919-684-4444 or at the Bryan Center Box Office.

Duke Launches New Arts Portal

Those with feet on the ground in Durham know it is the place where great things happen.  Be it visual art, performance, food, or community, Durham plays host to a wide breadth of options to experience and get involved.

Durham's accolades are so numerous that there's a website devoted to them, and the destination continually shows up in articles lauding its quality of life, food and art.  That said, Duke felt a need to highlight not only the community's offerings, but also the university's involvement and enabling of some of the features.  To wit, this site was born.

"The arts scenes at Duke and across Durham have both blossomed over the past several years. Members of the Duke community are deeply involved in Durham concerts, shows, classes and other arts activities. Duke Performances and others at Duke are holding events at venues across town. We developed this site to highlight how this artistic synergy is benefiting both sides," said David Jarmul, Associate Vice President of News and Communications at Duke.

"Duke has certainly helped to pave the way to some great enhancements that make Durham a continually growing visitor destination," said Shelly Green, President and CEO of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.  "This site gives students a great starting point in exploring Durham by providing a type of lens or filter through which they can become introduced."

The site will be used in a variety of ways by Duke, primarily as a way to inform prospects that Duke is part of a significant community of cultural offerings on par with many larger places, and that the university plays a significant role in forming the cultural experience options in Durham.

Duke Performances Announces Schedule for 2011 Music in the Gardens Series

With its Music in the Gardens Series, Duke Performances showcases the richness of the area's musical resources and Durham's burgeoning local music scene. In the past year, Durham's music culture has seen some extraordinary achievements.  Grammy wins for both the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Merge Records, plus the addition of Motorco Music Hall and the Casbah to the set of Durham music venues which have given independent musicians more opportunities than ever to perform.

The 2011 season of Music in the Gardens features a mix of styles from regionally-based up and coming acts and locals making their name nationally. Concerts begin on Wednesday, June 2 and are staged on the grounds of the 55-acre Sarah P. Duke Gardens - lawn chairs, picnics and blankets are encouraged.

Performers include: two-time Grammy-nominated Steve Riley and the Mamou Players, Shirlette and the Dynamite Brothers featuring Justin Robinson of Carolina Chocolate Drops, and neoclassical folk act Lost in the Trees. For a full schedule look here, for tickets here.

Set in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, among the most celebrated gardens in the US, Music in the Garden is yet another great reason to visit Durham and delve into what is sure to be a celebrated music scene.

New Theater Seasons Abound

It’s official: Durham theaters have announced their lineups for the 2010-2011 season and it is evident Durham is Where Great Theater Happens.

Manbites Dog Theater is kicking their new season of nine shows off October 7-23 with Breadcrumbs by Jennifer Haley. Tickets will go on sale September 6. Click here for more information about the entire season and to purchase tickets.

Duke Performances has also released a lineup for their upcoming season. Check out performances by the legendary Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Brooklyn Rider, Loudon Wainwright III & Friends, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and others. For ticket and schedule information, click here.

The Carolina Theatre has announced its 2010-2011 Star Series and highlights include an opening weekend celebration featuring Mavis Staples and The David Sanborn Trio, Betty Buckley – Broadway by Request, The Harlem Gospel Choir, Cirque Mechanics Boom Town, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

And last but not least, individual tickets for the DPAC – Durham Performing Arts Center’s 2010-2011 SunTrust Broadway Series are now on sale. Don’t miss a chance to see one of these fabulous shows. Visit www.dpacnc.com for more information.