Tuesday, 20 October, 4:45pm, 320 Languages
Everyone is invited to the screening of Khoristoria, the lively, music-filled story of the Yale Russian Chorus and its founder, Duke professor emeritus Denis Mickiewicz. Against the backdrop of the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement, the film follows Mickiewicz as he forms nearly 200 returning singers from five decades, most of whom he has never met, into a cohesive unit for their 50th anniversary concert.

Behind-the-scenes footage of the intensive preparations for a major performance is interspersed with stories and footage from the Chorus's early years, when members engaged in some of the first private-initiative, person-to-person cultural exchanges of the Cold War. Along the way, the audience is introduced to the Chorus's soul-stirring style and songs, the inspired leader who brought them to America, and the men of Yale who drew sellout audiences across the United States and Europe and brought the music back to the street corners of Russia. By showing the power of music to transcend time, space, politics, and connecting people who do not seem to have much in common, Khoristoria offers a timeless message of tolerance, cross-cultural understanding, and hope.

• flath@duke.edu