St. Petersburg Anniversary Marked With Conference, Concert
The city of St. Petersburgs 300th anniversary will be celebrated at Duke with a conference that includes a concert of Russian music and a keynote address by the former ambassador to Russia
DURHAM, N.C. -- The city of St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary will be celebrated at Duke University with a conference that includes a concert of Russian music and a keynote address by former ambassador to Russia Jack Matlock.
"It's an acknowledgement of the close ties we have to St. Petersburg as well as St. Petersburg's place as the cultural capital of Russia," said Michael Newcity, deputy director of the Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies, which is hosting the two-day event.
Matlock will give the keynote speech at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19 on "Russia's Window to Europe: How Successful has Peter's Dream Been?" Matlock, a Duke graduate, was US Ambassador to the Soviet Union between 1987 and 1991 and is the author of "Autopsy on an Empire." Scholars also will examine St. Petersburg's contributions to literature and the arts and investment and commerce in the city. These events will be held in rooms 11 and 12 of the Fox Student Center at the Fuqua School of Business on West Campus.
The day's events conclude with an 8 p.m. concert in Baldwin Auditorium on Duke's East Campus, featuring Russian and American musicians. The lineup includes tenor Dmitrij Vladomirovich Karpov and pianist Aleksandr Ivanovich Smorodkin of the St. Petersburg Mussorgsky Theatre of Opera and Ballet, as well as pianist Vladimir Viardo.
On Saturday, Sept. 20, sessions will focus on the educational system and research in St. Petersburg and will be held again at the Fuqua School of Business. The conference will conclude at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus with readings by faculty and students from UNC-CH and Duke and a presentation of photographs and paintings.
Duke has strong ties with the city of St. Petersburg, where students can spend a semester or summer studying at St. Petersburg State University as part of the Duke in Russia program. Several faculty members from St. Petersburg State University are participating in the conference.
"We collaborate very closely," Newcity said.
All events are free except the concert. Tickets are $15, $8 for Duke students, and can be purchased at the University Box Office, (919) 684-4444. All events are open to the public, but organizers ask that people wishing to attend contact the center. For more information, contact the Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies at (919) 660-3157. The complete conference schedule is online.