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Five Free, Fun Things at Duke in October

From a Duke Wind Symphony concert to a Latin American Film Festival, events abound

The Duke Wind Symphony will perform a free concert,
The Duke Wind Symphony will perform a free concert, "Mother Earth," on Oct. 2. Photo courtesy of the Duke Wind Symphony

Working@Duke brings you five, free fun things to do at Duke every month from events listed on the Duke Events calendar. We’ve compiled some activities for October, and check Duke Today the first week in November for the next post in this monthly series. Have fun discovering all the things that Duke and Durham have to offer.

Thursday, Oct. 2 – Listen to Music Inspired by Nature, Earth and Life

Performing a lineup of works inspired by nature, earth and life, the Duke Wind Symphony presents a concert, “Mother Earth,” 8 to 9:30 p.m. The free event will be held in the recently renovated Baldwin Auditorium, which has updated acoustics and a more intimate seating layout. The symphony will play David Maslanka’s “Mother Earth,” John Mackey’s “Sheltering Sky,” Claude Debussy’s “The Engulfed Cathedral,” Frank Ticheli’s “Earth Song,” and others.

Thursday Oct. 9 – Experience Sounds and Rhythms of Latin American artists

At 7 p.m., the Carolina Theatre in Durham will screen “The Voice of Latin America,” a documentary that looks into the life of Argentine musical artist Mercedes Sosa. The event is part of the N.C. Latin American Film Festival, organized by The Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The festival includes feature-length film screenings, short films, art exhibits, Q&A sessions and more celebrating the works of Latin American artists Oct. 4 through Nov. 6. Events are open-to-the-public and focus on the way music and rhythm play a role in Latin America. Learn more about the festival here.

Wednesday, Oct. 15 – Jazz Up Your Evening

Enjoy an evening at Duke’s Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture listening to North Carolina’s best professional and up-and-coming jazz musicians. Organized by John Brown, director of the Duke Jazz Program, “Jazz @ the Mary Lou” keeps the music flowing from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. in room 101 of the Flowers Building. The casual event also offers light hors d’oeuvres and nonalcoholic drinks.

Saturday, Oct. 25 – Dive into Swim Season

The Duke Swimming & Diving team begins its season in October, and the aquatic face-off against UNC-Wilmington’s Seahawks is scheduled for Oct. 25 at 11 a.m. A second meet against Virginia Tech will be held at 11 a.m. Oct. 26. All Swimming & Diving events are open to the public and held in the Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion. Free general public parking is available for most meets in the Whitford Drive parking lot along Bassett Drive, and in the Grounds parking lot at the end of Bassett Drive.

Monday, Oct. 27 –Whittier, Alaska: Population 200

The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) exhibit, “City Under One Roof,” shares the tale of Whittier, Alaska, population 200. The collection of photographs and writings is by Jen Kinney, who received the 2013 Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize. CDS gives a $10,000 annual prize to a chosen documentarian and encourages the collaboration of words and images. Kinney plans to publish a book of the “City Under One Roof” photographs, edited oral histories and historical essays. The exhibit will run Oct. 27 through Jan. 24, and a reception and artist’s talk is Oct. 30, from 6 to 9 p.m., at CDS.