Vernon Duke

Working across musical and geographical boundaries, Vernon Duke was born Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dukelsky on October 10, 1903, in the Minsk Governorate of the Russian Empire. By his early twenties, Duke had emigrated to New York City, lived in Paris and London, and earned the admiration and support of diverse musical luminaries including George and Ira Gershwin, Sergei Diaghilev, and Sergei Prokofiev.