Duke New Music Ensemble's Debut Draws Praise, Audiences

The Duke New Music Ensemble, [dnme], was formed in Fall 2007 to bring together undergraduate and graduate students to perform music written in the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as new works by Duke student composers. The group is the brainchild of graduate composer George Lam, who felt that students would be interested in performing, and hearing, more contemporary material. He envisioned an intimate atmosphere for performances, and the group's concerts this fall were held in Brody Theater on East Campus, a venue that only seats 65. George's assessment of student interest was correct, and after performing for standing room only crowds, [dnme] will move to Sheafer Theater in the Bryan University Center for its February 20 concert.

[dnme], a group of nine graduate and undergraduate students, collaborates regularly with faculty and guest artists from the Duke University Department of Music and other institutions across North Carolina. Guest performers in fall 2007 included saxophonist Susan Fancher, violist Reginald Patterson, and Jay O'Berski, a faculty member in the Department of Theater Studies. So far, [dnme]'s repertoire has been evenly divided between new works by Duke graduate student composers and works by some of the great names in 20th century music, including Piazzolla, Schoenberg, and Gorecki.