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Five Free, Fun Things at Duke in May

Attend a Mother’s Day concert, take a downtown Durham bicycle tour and more

Josh Starmer will perform cello and percussion compositions May 25 as part of Arts & Health at Duke's
Josh Starmer will perform cello and percussion compositions May 25 as part of Arts & Health at Duke's "May Music Wednesdays" series. Photo courtesy of Arts & Health at Duke

Celebrate the end of the academic year by listening to a jazz guitarist during lunch, viewing downtown art by bicycle or watching a live recording of WUNC’s “The State of Things” in Duke Chapel.

Working@Duke brings you five, free fun things to do at Duke every month during the academic year. This feature will resume in August, so check back the first week of August for more ideas. Have fun exploring Duke and Durham!

May 4 – Take a lunch break with May Music Wednesdays

Listen to Indian music and cello compositions during Arts & Health at Duke’s May Music Wednesdays lunchtime concert series.

The free outdoor performances will be held in the plaza of the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center for Health Education from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. In case of rain, the performances will be moved to the Arts & Health Galleries in the Duke Hospital concourse.

The first concert on May 4 features John Westmoreland, who will play jazz and world music guitar. Other performances include classical Indian music by Viswas Chitnis on May 11; harmony vocals and guitar by Kamara Thomas on May 18; and cello and percussion compositions by Josh Starmer on May 25. 

May 8 – Take mom to a Mother’s Day orchestra concert

The Duke Medicine Orchestra presents its spring concert, “A Musical Bouquet for Mother’s Day,” on May 8. The free concert will be in Baldwin Auditorium, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Pieces include “William Tell Overture,” “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” and “Pictures at an Exhibition.”

May 11 – Celebrate Duke Chapel’s reopening

Duke Chapel, which has been closed since May 11, 2015, for restoration, will reopen May 11 with guided tours, mindfulness meditations, organ demonstrations and a live recording of WUNC’s “The State of Things.”

The schedule of events runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and also includes music by three choirs, two organists and the university carillonneur. The festivities are free and open to the public.

May 27 – Feel the Force at outdoor movie night (The original date, May 20, has been rescheduled due to weather.)

Take photos with Stormtroopers or play with lightsabers at Duke’s free movie screening of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on May 27.

As part of Duke Appreciation in May, Duke employees and their family members are invited to bring blankets, movie snacks and lawn chairs to the East Campus Lawn for the free movie, which starts at 8:30 p.m.

Popcorn will be provided for up to four people per Duke ID while supplies last, and families are encouraged to bring their cameras to take photos with Darth Vader, Jedi, Stormtrooper and Kylo Ren characters from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

May 28 – Take a downtown Durham bicycle tour

Explore the art murals of downtown Durham by bicycle. The tours, co-organized by Preservation Durham, the Museum of Durham History and the Nasher Museum of Art, take place every fourth Saturday through November.

The 90-minute tour departs at 10 a.m. on May 28 from the Durham Farmers Market. All skill levels are welcome, and the event is free and open to the public. Participants must bring their own bicycle.

For more Duke events, visit the calendar.