News

Congratulations to all the students who performed in the Concerto Competition on Saturday, October 28, 2023. Each and every student who participated should be proud of their hard work and dedication to put together all of the wonderful performances! See below for the results: 2023 Concerto Competition Winners Soloing with the Youth Symphony: Taylor Young, Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, II. Adagio - Yasmine Kwong, Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E… read more about 2023 Concerto Competition Winners »

Join us for a workshop with on music written in the 20th century with Dr. Isoa Chapman on Saturday, April 8 from 2:00-3:30 in Room 101. Within the minimalist aesthetic of both Arvo Pärt and Henryk Górecki music of the past and present are meshed together to create new musical languages. Estonian composer Arvo Pärt found inspiration in the music of the Medieval and Renaissance period, and created a compositional framework that recalls the simplicity and sacredness of early musical forms. In this performance workshop we… read more about New Music Workshop with Dr. Isoa Chapman »

Our advanced chamber groups participating in the DUSS-Ciompi Quartet Collaborative have been busy this semester performing for the Forest at Duke Retirement Community and in the United Church of Chapel Hill's Alternative Market benefit concert. They were able to help raise $2,000 for peace scholarships! Next semester they will resume additional retirement community performances, as well as participate in the NC Symphony Ovations program.   read more about DCC Chamber Groups Perform in the Community »

Congratulations to all the students who performed in the Concerto Competition on Saturday, October 22. All of the pieces were well prepared and beautifully played. Every student who participated should be proud of their performances. See below for the results:   2022 Concerto Competition Winners   Soloing with the Youth Symphony Anna Darr, Lalo Cello Concerto in D minor, mov’t I, will play February 19, 2023 - Anthara Vivek, Sarasate Carmen Fantasy, … read more about 2022 Concerto Competition Winners »

We are very pleased to announce that Professor Harry Davidson will be continuing as the Conductor and now Music Director of the Youth Symphony in Fall 2022. Our flagship orchestra continues to sound wonderful under his baton, and we formally welcome Professor Davidson to the DUSS Team!    Harry Davidson is in his twenty-third season as Music Director and Conductor of the Duke Symphony Orchestra and Professor of the Practice at Duke University. In spring 2007, he was named Music Director and Conductor of Opera at… read more about Harry Davidson continuing as Conductor of Youth Symphony »

Join us live at Baldwin Auditorium via livestream on February 20 @6:30pm for our winter orchestra concert featuring the Intermediate String Orchestra, Concert String Orchestra, and Youth Symphony Chamber Orchestra with guest conductor Prof. Peter Askim. The concert will be live-streamed at https://youtu.be/eghlxAQcSaw. We are grateful to Rick Nelson and the Music Department for making this possible. Enjoy! read more about Streaming link for February 20, 2022 Orchestra Concert »

Join us live at Baldwin Auditorium via livestream tonight! Our first live orchestra concert of 2021 will take place this evening, Nov 7, at 6:30 PM in Baldwin Auditorium.  We are so excited for our orchestras to be back in Baldwin, playing together! The concert will be live-streamed at https://youtu.be/t-BcUxCwVIY. We are grateful to Rick Nelson and the Music Department for making this possible. Enjoy! read more about Join our orchestra concert via livestream tonight! 11/7 »

We are thrilled to finally confirm that Duke is in the process of approving our in-person ensembles in the Biddle Building for this fall. We will be requiring that all students, parents, teachers and staff wear masks indoors and implementing social distancing guidelines with maximum room capacities for each space. (More details forthcoming.)   We are still working out specifics regarding maximum ensemble size for each room, ensemble start times, and the number of family members allowed in the building. For now,… read more about Fall 2021: Ensembles are happening! »

Dear DUSS Families and Friends, We continue to be tentative about our fall scheduling and rehearsal plans as Duke as not made a final decision regarding community activities inside Duke University buildings. However, we would like to share our current concert schedule and plans so that you can put them in your calendar for the upcoming year (see PDF attached). We plan to be in touch by late July with more definitive plans regarding safe practices for auditions and regular rehearsals. By then we hope to have received more… read more about Tentative 2021-2022 Important Dates »

It is with great sadness that we report that our wonderful J. Samuel Hammond passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 25, 2021 at his home. A volunteer with DUSS since its inception in 1967, Mr. Hammond accompanied countless string students on the piano in orchestras, violin and cello choirs, and solo recitals. He made each individual student, parent, teacher and friend at DUSS feel needed and important. Mr. Hammond was a man of kindness, faith, and an overflowing generosity of spirit. We will never be able to replace… read more about Sam Hammond, Duke University Carillonneur, Librarian, and Beloved DUSS Accompanist »

DUSS has openings in several studios for private lessons! Ensembles are not currently meeting and we do not know when it will be safe to meet in large numbers, but we are actively offering 30, 45, and 60 minute private lessons via Zoom for students age 6-18.* Register as New Student to start the process to find the right teacher for your child HERE. *Typically, we accept beginners starting at age 5 each fall, however we are not offering lessons for beginner students younger than 6 years of age due to the nature of online… read more about Accepting new students for online lessons! »

Dear DUSS Families and Friends, We are pleased to share the virtual concert of our Beginner Violins and our Cello and Violin Choirs.  This concert has been made possible by DUSS parent Paul Giralt who spent many hours editing and putting the virtual concert together.  Thank you, Paul!  And thank you, students and teachers, for your hard work and flexibility as you adjusted to the sheltering at home orders.  You can go here to view the concert or click below. Enjoy… read more about Violin and Cello Choir Virtual Concert »

All 2020 Spring Concerts will be canceled in order to comply with Duke policies aimed at stopping the spread of the of the Coronavirus. We are very sad we will not be able to have our end-of-year concerts, but we are hopeful for a quick containment of the virus so that we can play music together again soon. The DUSS teaching faculty and staff are busy working to put together a wonderful 2020/2021 season via Zoom meetings, and we look forward to seeing you all as soon as possible. We wish everyone a safe and healthy spring… read more about Spring 2020 Performances Canceled »

Young families and community members filled nearly every seat in the Nelson Music Room on Saturday, February 1st while the Duke String School faculty and friends took the stage to perform Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, narrated by David Ballantyne of WCPE and conducted by Shelley Livingston. The program also included an Andrew Bird arrangement by Rob Rempher and Matt Stutzman and B.B. Wolf for solo bass and narration performed by Zachary Hobin. The audience graciously donated $2,115– a record for the DUSS Faculty… read more about Record funds raised at Peter and the Wolf Faculty Recital »

The Duke University String School is pleased to bring Mimi Zweig, Professor of Violin and Viola at the Jacobs School of Music and Director of the Indiana University String Academy to Durham to work with the Duke String School students on November 23 and area string teachers on November 24. The Bach Double workshop is open to the public for observation. Student participation in this workshop is open to all ISO, CSO, and YS violin, cello and bass Students.   In order to play in the class, students must… read more about Mimi Zweig visiting DUSS November 23/24 »

Campers at the Duke String School 2019 Summer Camp performed in the camp concert on Saturday, July 27 at the beautiful St. Stephens Episcopal Church. Students came from around North Carolina and beyond including Florida, Puerto Rico, China, and Korea. After just 6 days of rehearsal, the students put together 90 minutes of well-prepared music including Violin and Cello Choirs, chamber groups, the Viola for Violinists class, and the Summer String Orchestra. The Summer String Orchestra performed Dance of the Tumblers by… read more about Students Learn to Improvise at Camp »

        Jasmine Campbell taught with us in the 2017-18 season before taking time off after the birth of her twins. She will resume her position of violin teacher, chamber coach as well as assisting with the Concert String Orchestra. Born and raised in Utah, Jasmine began begging at the age of three for violin lessons. Jasmine attended the University of Utah and received a Bachelor of Music with an Emphasis in Violin Performance, and a Masters of Music with an Emphasis in… read more about Welcoming New Bass Teacher, and Welcoming Back Violin Teacher »

Join us for our 2019 Summer Camp, July 22-27! For students ages 7-18, our camp offers 6 days of large ensembles, chamber music groups, music theory, outdoor activities, elective classes, and a final concert.  Our camp takes place on the campus of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Durham. Camp is staffed by Duke University String School faculty who are assisted by our advanced high school students called "Teen Volunteers".  Students attend rehearsals, classes, and activities within two larger… read more about Summer Camp July 22-27 »

Thank you to everyone who attended our Faculty Concert “Care to Tango” this past Saturday! We had great attendance and were able to raise $1,323 for the Dorothy Kitchen Scholarship Fund. This is a significant chunk towards the $10,000 that we give each year for families in need of financial aid. Also, a big thanks to all the faculty, students, and staff that helped to make the event such a success. If you were not able to attend the concert but would still like to help us continue to reach for our goal of $10,000, we… read more about Faculty Recital Raises $1,323 for Scholarship Fund »

We are pleased to announced the 2018 Concerto Competition winners: These students will be performing with their orchestras as soloists on February 17th @6:30pm in Baldwin Auditorium. Youth Symphony - Catherine Yates, Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor Op. 85, 1. Adagio - Moderato - Anthara Vivek, Sarasate Zigeunerweisen Op. 20 Concert String Orchestra - Daphne Davis, Vivaldi Summer from the Four Seasons, op. 8 Competition Honorable Mention: Alexander McDowell, Mozart Violin Concerto in G Major KV 206, I.… read more about 2018 Concerto Competition Winners Announced »

We are very pleased to announce that Clara Vázquez has joined the Duke String School faculty as instructor of violin and chamber music. She also will be assisting Mr. Rempher in the Concert String Orchestra as artistic assistant of CSO. Ms. Vázquez is a versatile musician with a strong passion for sharing and communicating with others, both as a performer and teacher. In order to pursue her education in the United States, Clara has received several Spanish fellowships including Jonde BBVA, Caja Madrid and La Caixa.… read more about DUSS Welcomes Clara Vázquez to Faculty »

We are excited to announce the DUSS-Ciompi Quartet Collaborative (DCC), an intensive chamber music and orchestral program based at Duke University for advanced musicians age 12-18 beginning fall 2018. DCC Students will be coached weekly with members of the Ciompi Quartet and DUSS faculty and participate in master classes with visiting professional soloists and chamber musicians throughout the year. Student performers will attain new levels of technical proficiency and musical expression while… read more about DUSS-Ciompi Quartet Collaborative Begins 2018! »

DUSS is on winter break and will resume the week of January 8, 2018.  First ensemble rehearsals will take place Saturday, January 13th.   The next performance will be the Four Seasons Faculty Recital on January 27th @4pm. Highlights from this semester include: 50th Anniversary Concert with Founder Dorothy Kitchen Present, all ensembles playing Orange Blossom Special, Hal Grossman's "All gain, no pain!" workshop for musicians, and four Solo Recitals with a backdrop of snow. Happy holidays from all of us at… read more about String School on Break- Resumes January 8 »