Michael Duke – D.M.
Born in Melbourne Australia, Michael Duke completed his Bachelor of Music degree with honors at Melbourne University’s Victorian College of the Arts under the instruction of saxophonist Graeme Shilton. He received both Master’s and Doctorate Degrees in Music Performance from Indiana University studying under the tutelage of renowned classical saxophonists Eugene Rousseau, Thomas Walsh, Jean-Yves Fourmeau and Arno Bornkamp. While pursuing jazz studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, Duke studied with Shannon LeClaire, Jim Odgren and George Garzon and performed in the ensembles of Phil Wilson, Greg Hopkins, Victor Mendoza, and Joe Lovano.
Throughout Australia and abroad, Duke has engaged in an extensive performance career. He has performed with many of Australia’s premiere orchestras including the Melbourne Symphony, Orchestra Victoria, the Australian Philharmonic and Pops Orchestra, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. In the United States he has performed with the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra (Kentucky), the Camerata Symphony Orchestra (Indiana), the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and the Cedar Rapids Symphony (Iowa). In the spring of 2002 Duke won the Indiana University Woodwind Concerto Competition for his performance of Jacques Ibert’s “Concertino da camera” for alto saxophone and orchestra.
On the national and world stages he has been invited to perform at numerous North American Saxophone Alliance National conferences, two World Saxophone Congresses, and has lectured at the Australian National Band and Orchestra Clinic. In 2010 Duke was a featured artist at the prestigious International Society for Contemporary Music World New Music Days conference in Sydney, Australia where he presented two concerts of new music for saxophone. As a freelance musician in the Boston area, Duke has backed such varied artists as Gloria Estefan, The Four Tops, Bill Cosby and Gary Burton. He has also performed with the Danilo Perez Big Band, the Jim Widner Big Band, and the Greg Hopkins Big Band.
In addition to being active as a clinician and tutor, Duke has taught on the faculty of Simpson College in Iowa (2002-2005), Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts (2007-2008), and as an Associate Instructor at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana (1998-2000). Beginning in July 2008, Duke commenced his appointment as the first ever full-time classical saxophone lecturer in Australia at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney University. He currently also holds the role of Chair of the Woodwind Unit.
Due for release early 2011, Duke’s debut solo CD with pianist David Howie “Australian Portrait” features newly commissioned works by some of the nation’s most preeminent composers.
www.michael-duke.com
Elizabeth Hubbard (Lily)
Lily started piano lessons at the age of 6 years and Cello lessons at 9 years. Now 17 years old, she has completed her AMEB Licentiate in Cello, her Associate Diploma in Piano and is in her second year of a Bachelor of Performance Music Degree at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University as an early enty student, studying under Marcus Stocker.
Lily has won many awards for performance in piano and cello. She has performed with the Queensland Youth Orchestra, various chamber ensembles and auditioned succesfully for the Australian Youth Orchestra where she was the youngest musician at the 2010 National Music Camp at just 14 years.
She was Principal Cellist of the award winning Tagiev Chamber Orchestra with whom she toured China,Estonia,Spain and the USA and performed the Haydn Cello Concerto at Carnegie Hall in 2009 at the age of 13 years.
In 2011, Lily released her first CD “From our Hearts to Yours” on the Master Performers label with Pianist and duo partner, Adam McMillan as a way to raise funds for HeartKids, an organisation providing much needed support to families of children with congenital heart disease. The duo regularly perform concerts by invitation at Art Galleries, churches and other venues to raise awareness and funds for HeartKids.
See www.heartduo.com