Tree Planting Celebrates the Arts, Nature

Members of the Duke community were joined by representatives from the City of Durham Dec. 1 as part of an event to recognize a partnership between the Duke Medicine Orchestra and the city.

Above, French horn player Tom Shaffer performs along with a five-piece brass quintet during the festivities. Members of the orchestra played several pieces as part of a tree planting ceremony that included installing a Trident Maple along the edge of Duke’s East Campus by the West Markham Avenue-Onslow Street intersection.

A celebration of nature will continue next week with a free winter concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at Baldwin Auditorium where the Duke Medicine Orchestra will perform "City Trees,” a musical composition created by composer Michael Markowski. In addition, the orchestra will perform a holiday concert for Duke staff and faculty on Dec. 3. 

“Trees clean the air that provides us oxygen, combats climate change, marks the seasons and provides us a space to bring a diverse group of people together,” said Verena Moesenbichler-Bryant, Duke Medicine Orchestra’s artistic director and conductor of the volunteer orchestra. “Trees unify us and that’s what we also hope to do with the Duke Medicine Orchestra.”

Scott Lindroth, a music professor and Duke’s vice provost for the arts, said the collection of trees scattered across Duke’s campuses is one of the signature characteristics of the university, so he found it gratifying to see a collaboration that brought nature and the arts together.

“It’s an investment in our future,” he said. “This tree will evolve with us, which speaks to the enduring nature of art as well.”

Watch the video below for a short selection from City Trees and visit the Working@Duke Facebook page for a collection of photos from the event.