Duke grew up in a suburb of Detroit, MI in a family of string players who played either violin or cello, as dictated by their sainted father. He learned to play by listening to those siblings that came before him and mimicking what he heard. Having gained his majority and wishing for new horizons, he moved to MA in 1984 where he spent a decade pursuing a career in rock until he eventually thought better of that and took back up with the cello, joining a couple of community orchestras. He has since gained an appreciation for the great works of classical music that he never had as a younger person, and takes special pleasure in playing chamber music, be it string ensemble or the beautiful piano ensemble repertoire. He is proud to call himself a member in good standing of the New Philharmonia orchestra.
