Michael D. Eisner Center for the Performing Arts

Create.
Collaborate.
Transform.

Dance

Discover new cultures through movement

Theatre

Explore our common humanity through challenging new & classic productions

108,000 boldly designed square feet of creative freedom

Music

Jazz, folk, bluegrass, classical, African — experience the world through music

Art happens here. The arts intersect with nearly every facet of life at Denison. Students often bring a passion for the arts, and once here they find new ones.

Contact Us

Phone

740-587-6220

eisnercenter@denison.edu

Christine Montgomery ’87

Program Coordinator, Eisner Center

montgomeryc@denison.edu

740-587-6220

Kathy Peter

Managing Director

peterk@denison.edu

740-587-8006

Margot Singer

Professor (English/Creative Writing)

Director of Creative Writing

Director of Strategy for the Arts

singerm@denison.edu

740-587-5741

Denison University is a leading college for students who are passionate about the arts and who choose the breadth of a liberal arts education over that of a conservatory.

The Arts at Denison are vibrant, masterful, and thought-provoking. Denison students collaborate and create as they learn from working artists and professional creators. More than 40 percent of Denison students take part in the arts that include music, theatre, dance, cinema, art history, studio art, and creative writing. Students who come to Denison nurturing a passion often find they grow and develop new avenues of artistic pursuit.

Home to the departments of Dance, Music and Theatre, the Michael D. Eisner Center for the Performing Arts is a natural hub for the performing arts at Denison. Students and faculty from different disciplines intersect in classrooms and common areas. These encounters spark creativity and growth that elevate knowledge and ability.

Denison students learn, perform, exhibit, and partake in the arts on campus and off The Hill.

Department of Dance

Department of Music

Department of Theatre

Denison Museum

A teaching museum, the Denison Museum is fittingly located in the Eisner Center. The museum’s teaching collection includes cultural heritage, historical, scientific, and artistic objects. Exhibitions, mounted in the spring and fall of each year, are curated from these collections or from nationally toured exhibitions.

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Vail Series

The Vail Series is Denison’s premiere performing arts series. Since 1979, the Vail Series has brought world-class musicians and artists to Swasey Chapel. These artists, like Yo-Yo Ma, Belá Fleck, and Renée Fleming, often join students in the classroom sharing advice about technique and even some sage business know-how. What’s more, the Vail Series events are free to students, faculty, and staff.

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Columbus Arts Community

The Columbus arts community is just 30 minutes away, with access to musical, classical, and improvisational theatre; orchestras and symphonies; ballet and modern dance companies; art galleries and museums; independent film venues; and programs, like those at the Thurber House, that celebrate excellence in writing.

Learn more

Spotlights

Denison Magazine

5 questions with Music’s Sun Min Kim

His path to piano, the mentor who still watches over him, and the freedom he finds in teaching and studying music at a liberal arts college

Making their mark with Messiah

This year’s performance of Handel’s epic work included student soloists, a new twist on a long-running Denison tradition.

5 questions with Music’s Sun Min Kim

Kim talks about his path to piano, the late mentor who still watches over him, and the freedom of teaching and studying music at a liberal arts college.