Born in Birmingham, England, Dukes began his musical education at Wells Cathedral School in 1978.
[1] In 1985 Dukes went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama[2] His principal teachers included Mark Knight,[3] Yfrah Neaman[4] and in New York, Michael Tree.
[5] Dukes' 1991 recital debut at London's South Bank was described as "world class" by the magazine The Strad.
Dukes' most recent contributions to TV were as a member of The Locrian Ensemble of London who performed the original television sound track for the BBC production of Wolf Hall and Dickensian, both composed and conducted by Debbie Wiseman.
In 2006 Dukes was elected a fellow of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and in 2007 was made an honorary associate of the Royal Academy of Music where he is a visiting professor of viola[6] Dukes married Caroline in 2002; they live in Marlborough and have two sons.