Denison Magazine
Events at the Eisner Center don’t happen without a helping hand from Phil Meyer ’12. As Eisner’s house manager and box office assistant, he keeps things running smoothly, managing ushers, designing a new ticketing system, and providing delicious “shift snacks” to his student workers.
His students say he goes above and beyond for them.
It’s fitting that Meyer, whose love for music was nurtured at Denison, is now helping others showcase their talents.
He was a member of many music ensembles on The Hill, including the wind ensemble, symphony orchestra, Bluegrass ensemble, new music ensemble, and brass ensemble. “One of the coolest things is I’m fortunate to be colleagues with so many professors I took classes with and looked up to,” he said.
Meyer also spent much of his time at Mitchell as a two-time All-American diver and member of the men’s swim and dive team that won the National Championship in 2011 and 2012.
He went on to get his master’s degree in music education from the University of Illinois and was a middle and high school band director for seven years. Now, in addition to his duties at Denison, he is the band director at St. Charles Preparatory School, as well as a private lesson instructor and musical director for the Red School of Music in Marysville, Ohio.
For Meyer, the people are the best part of his job. In addition to his Eisner Center work, he is also on the development team for Summer TUTTI, a performing arts camp for high school students. He finds joy in the connections he builds every day, whether collaborating with faculty, assisting patrons, and mentoring (and feeding!) student workers.
On that last front, even his wife, Denison alum Allison Kranek ’11, is known to get in on the act.
Meyer, Kranek, and their two dogs live in nearby Westerville. Kranek enjoys trying new recipes but doesn’t have a crowd of people to bake for. So she often sends her baked goods to Meyer’s students, telling him, “Take them into the office so we don’t eat them all!”
February 18, 2025
