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Lecture

Ronald E. Bornstein
Vernon Duke, A Composer for All Seasons

Thursday 24.07.2025

How to watch

This lecture starts on 24 July at 5:00pm (UK).

Summary

“April in Paris,” “Autumn in New York,” and “Taking a Chance on Love,” are some of the great hits composed by Vernon Duke (1903-69) that made their way into the Great American Songbook. Lyricists for his songs were among the very best, including Ira Gershwin, E.Y. Harburg, Howard Dietz, Ogden Nash, and Sammy Cahn. In this delightful lecture, Ron Bornstein discusses the lives and works of Vernon Duke/Vladimir Dukelsky.

Ronald E. Bornstein

an image of Ronald Bornstein

Ronald E. Bornstein is an international lawyer who has practiced in New York, Paris, San Francisco, and London. He is a member of Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, and a Lifetime Member of the Pacific Pension & Investment Institute (PPI). He was a Ford Foundation Fellow at the Academy of International Law at The Hague and a visiting Fulbright Professor at the University of Dakar. Ron grew up in Manhattan and is a lifelong student of the “Great American Songbook” and American music from 1920 to 1970.