For the flourishing of theology and the arts
DITA and King’s College Cambridge
Since 2009, Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts and King’s College Cambridge have partnered together for the flourishing of theology and the arts.
Born out of a vision for collaboration, this partnership has long found its locus in a series of Easter conferences featuring seminars, lectures, collaborative symposiums, and major international performances broadcasted and reviewed on international platforms.
Fifteen years after its founding, the partnership has proved a remarkable creative engine in the field of theology and the arts, bringing together top scholars, academics, and artists from around the world—from the United Kingdom to the Caribbean to the United States. The partnership has produced several volumes of major research, and each chapter has produced key collaborative enterprises now core to DITA’s mission, such as the first Passion for the book of Luke and the Theology, Modernity, and the Arts project.
“Our work with King’s College,” says DITA Director Dr. Jeremy Begbie, “has proved one of the most vital collaborations in DITA’s history. It has given birth to serious academic and compositional work while also fostering deeply humanizing intellectual and artistic companionship that is rare in the academic and scholarly world.”
Easter at King’s
King’s College Cambridge
2012
April 2–8, 2012
One of the earliest gatherings between DITA and King’s, this festival includes Olivier Messiaen’s piece for four hands “Visions de l’Amen,” a debut performance by the Duke-Cambridge Voices, and the commissioning of the St. Luke Passion by Sir James MacMillan.
2015
March 30–April 5, 2015
This gathering marks the inception of the Theology, Modernity, and the Arts project and features several key events in the Easter at King’s festival, such as a presentation of music and poetry at the Fitzwilliam Museum, a performance by the Britten Sinfonia, and more.
2022
April 12–17, 2022
Featuring a series of presentations, performances, and worship services during Holy Week, the 2022 Easter at King’s festival also marks the launch of The Art of New Creation and the Theology, Modernity, and Literature project.
Sounding the Passion
Duke Divinity School
2014
April 10, 2014
Our Double Time
Esteemed Irish poet Micheal O’Siadhail offers a live reading of his newest collection of poetry and reflects publicly on life, death, and temporality.
April 12, 2014
Kiss on Wood
Composer Sir James MacMillan dialogues with Duke Divinity Dean Richard Hays and Cambridge professor Sarah Coakley about the St. Luke Passion.
April 13, 2014
Future of Theology
An assembly of top scholars in theology and the arts cast a shared vision for the future of the field and recount its previous accomplishments.
April 11, 2014
Passion Premiere
The long-awaited premiere of the St. Luke Passion, the first ever Passion composed for the book of Luke, takes place at Duke Chapel on Palm Sunday.
