 He also taught at the New England Conservatory, the Eastman School of Music, Queens College, City University of New York, Vassar College, the University of Connecticut and State University of New York at Purchase.Dunkel was born in New York City, where he spent his early years.His mother, Johanna Lustig, was a pianist from Vienna, Austria and his father, Eugene Borisovich Dunkel, was a scenic designer, born in Russia.