DURHAM, N.C. - The Alumni of the Yale Russian Chorus will perform a concert of Russian liturgical and secular music at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at Duke Chapel.

Denis Mickiewicz, a professor emeritus at Duke University's Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies, is the founder and conductor of the 56-year-old chorus comprised of Yale graduates. The chorus was founded at Yale in 1953 during the height of the Cold War.

Throughout its history, the tenor-bass choral ensemble has performed internationally, in Ukraine, Russia and throughout the United States. Mickiewicz was honored by the Russian government in 2004 for his contribution to the field of America-Russian cultural relations.

The chorus' repertoire spans the 12th to the 21st centuries, including a variety of sacred and secular works from across Eastern Europe. These include ancient chant, folk songs, and works by Tchaikovsky, Bortnyansky, Kedrov and Arkhangelsky, among others.

The 85 members of the chorus who will sing at the concert span five decades and consist of leaders in various fields, including academia, the clergy, government and business, including faculty at both Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students. Contact the Duke Box Office at 684-4444 or visit tickets.duke.edu for more information.