FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Welcome to the 2026-27 Eisner Center Season From the searing wit of God of Carnage to the tangled fairytales of Into the Woods; from Stanley Jordan’s groundbreaking guitar technique to the Denison Symphony Orchestra’s world premiere tribute to those who serve; from the Denison Dance Company’s shifting, shimmying Tectonic to Euripides reimagined through Emily Wilson’s electrifying new translation of The Bacchae, this year at the Eisner Center will be one of exploration and connection. Whether you’re a dedicated arts enthusiast or simply curious, the Eisner Center welcomes you to experience the performances that can spark a lifelong love of the arts. Behind every performance is a community of students, faculty, staff, and guest artists pushing each other toward better work: world premieres alongside Broadway classics, faculty recitals beside touring GRAMMY-nominated ensembles, jazz, gospel, and American roots standards reimagined alongside the artists keeping them alive. And what’s listed here is just the start. Throughout the year, we’ll add senior recitals, student-led projects, and special events to the lineup, so be sure to follow the Arts at Denison for the full calendar, event descriptions, and ticketing information. Whether you’re here for a single evening or all year long, we hope you’ll find something that surprises you, moves you, or simply reminds you why we gather in rooms like these to watch, listen, and feel something together. With over 100 performances each year, there’s always more waiting to be discovered. TICKETS OR QUESTIONS? Eisner Center events are free and open to the public but may require tickets. Vail Series tickets are available to the general public for a nominal fee. Artsatdenison.ludus.com is your one-stop shop for all ticketed events.
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SEPTEMBER
CYCLES
From Cells to the Cosmos AUGUST 27–DECEMBER 4 | DENISON MUSEUM Nothing exists in isolation. Everything is connected. From cells to the cosmos, Cycles reveals the patterns of change that unite art, science, nature, and human experience.
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FACULTY RECITAL: SAN SUNG AUM, PIANO
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VARIANT 6
7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL Guest artist Variant 6, a Philadelphia-based vocal chamber ensemble, explores the expressive potential of the human voice through virtuosic, poignant, and approachable vocal chamber music.
OCTOBER
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the critical role commercial radio stations had in this transformation, examining how the racial organization of the radio industry influenced the way hip-hop music was sold to the American public.
GOD OF CARNAGE
By Yasmina Reza Translated by Christopher Hampton OCTOBER 1 - 3 | 7 PM OCTOBER 3 & 4 | 2 PM SHARON MARTIN HALL Directed by Aviva Neff Yasmina Reza’s Tony Award-winning play comes to Denison this autumn! In this searing comedy of manners, two couples meet to mediate a playground fight between their sons. The result? A whole lot of not-so-grown-up behavior! If boys will be boys, then what will their parents be? Find out in this romp through art history, politics, parenting, tantrums, tears, and a little bit of mayhem.
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FALL DANCE FESTIVAL
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SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: SPOTLIGHTS AND SERENADES 7 PM | SHARON MARTIN HALL Directed by Philip Rudd The season’s opening concert features classic works for strings and smaller orchestras, with Denison studio instructor Evan Lynch performing Mozart’s beloved Clarinet Concerto.
HOW HIP-HOP BECAME HIT POP
Lecture by Amy Coddington 7:30 PM | EISNER CENTER, ROOM 238 Over the past half-century, hip-hop has utterly transformed U.S. culture: look around, and it’s hard to see or hear something that hasn’t been influenced by the young people of color who fashioned, developed, and championed hip-hop culture. How exactly did this happen? This lecture analyzes
7 PM | THORSEN DANCE STUDIO Curated and produced by Department of Dance fellows, this event celebrates emergent student choreographers and provides a platform for diverse dance voices.
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GUEST ARTIST RECITAL: JULIAN JAEYOUNG KIM, PIANO 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
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CHAMBER SINGERS CONCERT 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL Directed by Harris Ipock
By John Cariani OCTOBER 23, 24, 29, 30, 31 | 7 PM OCTOBER 25 & NOVEMBER 1 | 2 PM HYLBERT FAMILY STUDIO THEATRE Directed by Denison students under the guidance of Braxton Rae Love/Sick is a collection of slightly twisted, completely hilarious short plays that explore the pain and joy of love. From couples who fall in love at first sight, to ones trying to spice up their lives, to one couple ready to call it quits, this play is full of imperfect lovers and dreamers trying to figure it out! This unromantic comedy speaks to the romantic in everyone.
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OCTOBER
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LOVE/SICK
JAZZ GUITAR FESTIVAL 30TH ANNIVERSARY OCTOBER 29 | 8 PM Tom Carroll BURKE RECITAL HALL OCTOBER 30 | 8 PM Stanley Jordan SHARON MARTIN HALL Denison’s Jazz Guitar Festival celebrates 30 years with concerts by festival creator Tom Carroll on Thursday night and headliner Stanley Jordan on Friday night. Jordan is a groundbreaking innovator whose revolutionary two-handed tapping technique redefined the possibilities of the guitar. Jordan will host a free clinic from 3 to 5 PM on October 30 at the Eisner Center.
CAROLINE SPENCE PERFORMS WITH AMERICAN ROOTS ENSEMBLE BANDS 7 PM | SHARON MARTIN HALL
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VAIL SERIES | THE GREEN ROOM ENSEMBLE – THE STRING QUARTET CYCLE BY ELEANOR ALBERGA 7 PM | SWASEY CHAPEL The Green Room Ensemble is thrilled to present the US premiere performance cycle of Eleanor Alberga’s Three String Quartets, along with the world premiere of her Piano Quintet No. 2, “Stark” with the composer herself at the piano, joined by Thomas Bowes and Nathan Meltzer, violins; Jordan Bak, viola; and Sterling Elliott, cello.
INDICATES TICKETED EVENT
STUDENT RECITAL
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SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: HONORING ALL WHO SERVE
11:45 AM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
7 PM | SWASEY CHAPEL Directed by Philip Rudd As part of America 250 and together with special guests, the Denison Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Philip Rudd, celebrates all those who serve, featuring the premiere of a symphony honoring Denison’s F. Trevor “Trig” Gamble, composed by Ching-chu Hu, commissioned by the Granville Historical Society, with baritone Harris Ipock, guest soloist.
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GUEST ARTIST RECITAL: OLIVER JIA, PIANO 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
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NOVEMBER
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INTO THE WOODS Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by James Lapine Originally Directed on Broadway by James Lapine Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
NOVEMBER 12 - 14 | 7 PM NOVEMBER 15 | 2 PM SHARON MARTIN HALL Directed by Alison Morooney Music directed by Kevin N. Wines What happens after Cinderella gets her prince? After Jack chops down the beanstalk? Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine tangle classic Brothers Grimm fairytales together to explore these very questions…while asking a few more along the way. Instead of the tales we know, our favorite characters encounter unexpected twists and turns to find and maintain their “happily ever after.” In its wisdom, Into the Woods asks us to consider the journey, rather than the destination, as measurement of our lives’ work.
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VAIL SERIES | THE WESTERLIES
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JAZZ ENSEMBLE AND JAZZ COMBO CONCERT
7 PM | SWASEY CHAPEL From Carnegie Hall to Coachella, this GRAMMY-nominated brass ensemble has upended presumptions of the brass tradition to create music that is “folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous” (NPR Music). Joining them this evening is Denison’s Wind Ensemble, Chris WestoverMuñoz, conductor.
7 PM | SHARON MARTIN HALL Directed by Pete Mills
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STUDENT RECITAL 11:45 AM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
STUDENT COMPOSERS CONCERT WITH THIRD COAST PERCUSSION 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
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WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT: CITY LIFE (or WORLD ON FIRE) 7 PM | SHARON MARTIN HALL Conducted by Chris Westover-Muñoz Together with featured guest ensemble Third Coast Percussion, the Denison University Wind Ensemble and conductor Chris WestoverMuñoz explore the Anthropocene through music. The program features Steve Reich’s acclaimed City Life and music by Phillip Glass, Armando Bayolo, and Gustav Holst.
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AMERICAN ROOTS ENSEMBLE CONCERT 7 PM | SWASEY CHAPEL Directed by Adam Schlenker
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JANUARY
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CHAMBER MUSIC ENSEMBLES CONCERT 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
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DECEMBER
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OPERA ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL Directed by Emily Noël
FALL DANCE CONCERT: TECTONIC DECEMBER 10 & 11 | 7 PM SHARON MARTIN HALL Tectonic is a performance that explores how the earth shifts, slips, shakes, stretches, splits, and shimmies. In this dance concert, the Denison Dance Company goes on a dynamic odyssey of transformation.
GOSPEL CHOIR CONCERT 7 PM | SWASEY CHAPEL Directed by Timothy Carpenter
HOLIDAY POPS ORCHESTRA CONCERT 7 PM | SWASEY CHAPEL Directed by Philip Rudd The Denison Symphony Orchestra presents its beloved holiday pops concert, celebrating the joyful sounds of the season!
RADIANT PAGES Art of the Book JANUARY 18–APRIL 2 | DENISON MUSEUM What is a book, and what can it become? Radiant Pages explores the book as both a physical object and an idea, inviting visitors to consider how books shape art, individuals, and society.
WITHIN COLOR JANUARY 18–MAY 14 | DENISON MUSEUM Within COLOR is an interdisciplinary collaboration that explores the intersection of abstract art, music, stained glass, and color, and how each of these elements inspires, communicates, and coexists in a space. Collaborations by Zachery S. Meier, music; Chris Faur, artist; and Tower Duo, music ensemble.
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FEBRUARY
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PANGAEA CHAMBER PLAYERS 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL Comprised of flute, cello, and piano, the Pangaea Chamber Players perform both traditional and contemporary chamber music. The ensemble features Denison faculty Sun Min Kim, piano; Virginia Broffitt Kunzer, flute; and Meredith BlechaWells, cello.
been shaped by guns, from across the geographic, racial, political, and generational spectrum. Performed as live radio plays, four actors voice dozens of memorable characters, accompanied by a propulsive 3-piece band and a Foley artist.
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7 PM | SHARON MARTIN HALL
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VAIL SERIES | JOHN CLAYTON & ETHEL: REFLECTIONS ON MONK AND BACH 7 PM | SWASEY CHAPEL Experience the captivating synergy of John Clayton, a master of the bass, and the innovative ETHEL Quartet. VAIL SERIES | ARMS AROUND AMERICA FEBRUARY 10 & 11 7 PM | SHARON MARTIN HALL Arms Around America is an evening of six short radio plays based on oral histories of families whose lives have
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CONTEMPORARY SOUNDS Tiny TUTTI Series
7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL The Contemporary Sounds Series welcomes acclaimed flutist Lindsay Goodman, in collaboration with Denison’s King Center for Data and Innovation, for a two-day residency culminating in a concert of contemporary music for flute and live electronics, including a new work by Denison faculty member Zachery S. Meier.
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7 PM | SHARON MARTIN HALL
Enjoy an evening of contemporary jazz featuring Denison studio instructor Erik Augis on piano, Derek DiCenzo on bass, and Reggie Jackson on drums.
THERE’S A YEARNIN’ - MUSIC FOR WINDS AND VOICE There’s a Yearnin’ brings together jazz woodwind artist and arranger Jeff Lederer with jazz vocalese artist Mary LaRose in a program of compositions by Oliver Nelson, Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy for woodwind quintet and voice. This project shines a new light on the incredible and rarely performed compositional output of these three jazz masters, and unearths a woodwind sextet by Eric Dolphy from the 1960’s, that has not been heard until now.
ERIK AUGIS TRIO
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BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 19 & 20 7 PM | SWASEY CHAPEL WORKSHOP ON FEBRUARY 20 12 PM | EISNER CENTER FACULTY RECITAL: HANA CHU, PIANO, WITH EVAN LYNCH, CLARINET, AND CORA KUYVENHOVEN, CELLO 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
By Euripides Translated by Emily Wilson MARCH 4 - 6 | 7 PM MARCH 7 | 2 PM SHARON MARTIN HALL Directed by Eleni Papaleonardos In her vivid new translation of Euripides’ The Bacchae, acclaimed classicist Emily Wilson illuminates the dangerous collision between reason and ecstasy, control and liberation. Dionysus – the god of wine, fertility, and theatre – arrives in his ancestral home (along with his maenads) to demand recognition. The city’s young ruler resists, which sets in motion a terrifying unraveling of order, identity, gender, and power. The Bacchae remains one of theatre’s most electrifying explorations of what happens when we deny the divine and primal forces within ourselves, revealing the destructive consequences of repressing emotion, belief, and desire.
CONCERTO - ARIA ORCHESTRA CONCERT
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CHAMBER SINGERS AND CHAMBER PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE CONCERT 7 PM | SHARON MARTIN HALL Directed by Kevin N. Wines and Alexandros Fragiskatos This joint concert showcases Bob Chilcott’s The Making of the Drum for a cappella choir and selections from the Chamber Percussion Ensemble including Alexandros Fragiskatos featured in Koshinski’s Concerto for Marimba and Choir with Percussion.
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GUEST ARTIST RECITAL: SOO KYUNG KIM, PIANO 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
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MARCH
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THE BACCHAE
SENIOR DANCE RESEARCH CONCERT MARCH 26 & 27 | 7 PM THORSEN DANCE STUDIO This performance event illuminates dance research carried out by seniors. The projects feature artistic investigations and interdisciplinary projects.
7 PM | SHARON MARTIN HALL Directed by Philip Rudd In this annual showcase of Denison’s most accomplished student soloists, the Symphony Orchestra features the winners of the Concerto-Aria Competition, alongside other orchestral works.
INDICATES TICKETED EVENT
STUDENT RECITAL
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STUDENT RECITAL
desperate for someone to believe in him and help save his new home. Horton the Elephant and Gertrude McFuzz loyally and bravely answer the call. Ahrens and Flaherty’s Seussical is a zany, yet heartfelt celebration of imagination, friendship, and the importance of having faith in yourself.
11:45 AM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
11:45 AM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
SEUSSICAL Music by Stephen Flaherty Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens Book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty Co-Conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and Eric Idle Based on the Works of Dr. Seuss
APRIL 9 & 10, 15 - 17 | 7 PM APRIL 11 | 2 PM SHARON MARTIN HALL Directed by Alison Morooney Music directed by Kevin N. Wines A young and dejected boy named Jojo meets a mischievous Cat in a tall red and white hat. To get Jojo out of his funk, the Cat whisks him into a whole new world full of colorful characters and adventure. Jojo, who once longed for something to believe in, soon finds himself on the tiny, endangered planet of Whoville–
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FACULTY RECITAL: HANA CHU, PIANO, ZACHERY MEIER, FLUTIST AND COMPOSER, AND EVAN LYNCH, CLARINET 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
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APRIL
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SENIOR VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION 2027 APRIL 23-MAY 14 DENISON MUSEUM Opening Reception April 23, 2027 Denison celebrates the annual exhibition of senior visual arts majors at the museum.
STUDENT COMPOSERS CONCERT 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
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STUDENT RECITAL
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11:45 AM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
APRIL 23, 24 | 7 PM APRIL 24 | 2 PM THORSEN DANCE STUDIO Rollercoaster features the Denison Dance Company as they ride the rollercoaster of life and love. The dancers slide, loop-de-loop, and linger in the thrill of romance, joy, and friendship.
AMERICAN ROOTS ENSEMBLE CONCERT
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MAY
7 PM | SWASEY CHAPEL Directed by Adam Schlenker
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WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT: HYMNAL
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ORCHESTRA, CONCERT CHOIR AND CHAMBER SINGERS CONCERT: THE ARMED MAN: A MASS FOR PEACE
JAZZ ENSEMBLE AND JAZZ COMBO CONCERT 7 PM | SHARON MARTIN HALL Directed by Pete Mills
SPRING DANCE CONCERT: ROLLERCOASTER
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APRIL
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7:30 PM | SHARON MARTIN HALL Conducted by Chris Westover-Muñoz Featuring the music of Warren Benson, Charles Ives, and Joe Hill, the DU Wind Ensemble considers the music of collective song–hymnody. A highlight of the program is Gavin Bryars’ stunning minimalist masterpiece, Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.
7 PM | SWASEY CHAPEL Directed by Philip Rudd and Kevin N. Wines Composed by Karl Jenkins as a reflection on the end of the 20th century: “the most war-torn and destructive century in human history,” this contemporary oratorio speaks well to our world today. In addition to sacred texts (Judeo-Christian, Islamic, and Hindu), this work includes texts by Tennyson, Kipling, and Sankichi Toge – a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing.
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CHAMBER ENSEMBLES CONCERT 7 PM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
CHAMBER ENSEMBLES RECITAL 11:45 AM | BURKE RECITAL HALL
FESTIVAL OF NEW SOLO PERFORMANCE APRIL 30-MAY 1 | 7 PM MAY 1, 2 | 2 PM HYLBERT FAMILY STUDIO THEATRE Mentored by Mark Evans Bryan Students from Theatre 391: Workshop in Solo Performance perform their major projects. Their work, written and created by each Denison student artist, will be presented in two varied programs.
GOSPEL CHOIR CONCERT 7 PM | SWASEY CHAPEL Directed by Timothy Carpenter
INDICATES TICKETED EVENT
MICHAEL D. EISNER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 240 W. Broadway Granville, OH 43023
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