The
Vail Series

48th season

The Green Room Ensemble featuring Eleanor Alberga

International artists on The Hill! Artists from around the world come to Denison’s stage to inspire, transport, and enthrall for the 48th season of Vail.

Jamaican composer and pianist Eleanor Alberga joins The Green Room Ensemble with a world premiere of her second piano quintet. Brass Quartet, The Westerlies, will astound us with their mix of jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk. In the spring, world-renowned and Grammy Award-winning bassist John Clayton and ETHEL will bring the house down in their program, Reflections on Monk and Bach, and attend the humorous and thought-provoking live radio dramas of Arms Around America.

Vail Series Director:
Ching-chu Hu

Vail Series Assistant Director:
Marla Krak

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Five musicians pose together; one person stands in the center with a shawl spread out, while the others hold violin, viola, and accordion against a plain background.

The Vail Series presents The Green Room Ensemble featuring Eleanor Alberga

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 Quartet 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.

The Westerlies

The Vail Series presents The Westerlies

Swasey Chapel

The Westerlies, “an arty quartet…mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” (The New York Times), hold a singular space in modern music. From Carnegie Hall to Coachella, the GRAMMY-nominated ensemble has upended presumptions of the brass tradition to create music that is “folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous” (NPR Music). 

John Clayton & ETHEL

The Vail Series presents John Clayton & ETHEL

Swasey Chapel

Experience the captivating synergy of John Clayton, a master of the bass, and the innovative ETHEL Quartet in Reflections on Monk and Bach. Their collaboration weaves together the rich, resonant tones of Clayton’s bass with the quartet’s dynamic string arrangements, creating a sound that is both familiar and refreshingly new. 

Arms Around America

The Vail Series presents Arms Around America

Michael D. Eisner Center for the Performing Arts

Arms Around America (AAA) is an evening of six short radio plays based on oral histories of families whose lives have been shaped by guns, from across the geographic, racial, political, and generational spectrum, performed with four actors voice dozens of memorable characters, accompanied by a propulsive 3-piece band, and a “Foley” artist creating live sound effects. 

Arms Around America

The Vail Series presents Arms Around America

Michael D. Eisner Center for the Performing Arts

Arms Around America (AAA) is an evening of six short radio plays based on oral histories of families whose lives have been shaped by guns, from across the geographic, racial, political, and generational spectrum, performed with four actors voice dozens of memorable characters, accompanied by a propulsive 3-piece band, and a “Foley” artist creating live sound effects. 

About The Vail Series

The Vail Series was endowed by a generous gift from the late Mary and Foster McGaw in honor of Jeanne Vail, class of 1946. Just as it was intended to do, the Series enriches the artistic experience of the entire Denison community, giving us the opportunity for faculty, staff, and Denison students to attend concerts with world-renowned artists for free. 

Programmed creatively with the mindful pursuit of learning across traditional academic boundaries, the Vail Series was directed by Lorraine Wales from its inception in 1979-2013 and by Michael Morris from 2013-2019. Ching-chu Hu is currently the Director of the Vail Series.

ETHEL performance
Dafrakura performance
Regina Carter performs
Third Coast Percussion performs for The Vail Series
Saxophone player during Dafrakura performance

Since 1979, more than 200 individual Vail Series artists have found their way to Denison’s classrooms and stages, but that doesn’t include the dozens of ensembles or full symphony orchestras that have played here over the years. And some stay for a while. Last time he was here, Bobby McFerrin presented two concerts, performing with ten student groups over the two-night engagement. Many artists arrive on campus days ahead of their concert to visit classes and student groups.

The Vail Series really is much more than a series of concerts by world-class artists. It’s seeing Yo-Yo Ma or Béla Fleck or Ladysmith Black Mambazo or the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine. You’ll see them on a small stage, six feet away from your front-row seat, knowing they’ll be spending enough time here to interact with students personally and answer a question if you have one.

The Vail Series joins in bringing the contemporary classical Grammy Award-winning string quartet ETHEL, who have been awarded honorary degrees for their impact at Denison, and Grammy Award-winning Third Coast Percussion to campus, each for two full weeks a year, as Denison’s ensembles-in-residence. They take the arts from the performance stage to classrooms. They play in a variety of surprising locations across campus, and often just grab lunch and chat with students in the student union.

Here are just a few notable performers from past years:

  • Rita Moreno
  • Wynton Marsalis
  • Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain & Edgar Meyer
  • Yo-Yo Ma
  • Yuja Wang
  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo
  • Dee Dee Bridgewater
View Vail Series archives

The Vail Series
Archives

2025 - 2026

Attacca Quartet
The Vail Series presents Attacca Quartet

GRAMMY® award-winning quartet

"The Other Mozart"
The Vail Series presents ‘The Other Mozart’

The forgotten story of Mozart's genius sister (2nd evening)

Les Arts Florissants with violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte
The Vail Series presents Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons' with Les Arts Florissants and violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte

Celebrating 300th Anniversary of Vivaldi’s "The Four Seasons"

Gabriel Kahane
The Vail Series presents Gabriel Kahane

Singer / Songwriter / Storyteller

2024 - 2025

Merz Trio
The Vail Series presents Merz Trio

The Vail Series welcomes piano trio Merz Trio.

Rita Moreno
The Vail Series and ReMix in the Arts present a conversation with the legendary Rita Moreno

The Vail Series welcomes Rita Moreno.

Lorelei Ensemble with Pilobolus Dance Company
The Vail Series welcomes Lorelei Ensemble and a dance quartet featuring new choreography by Pilobolus (2nd evening)

The Vail Series welcomes Lorelei Ensemble and a dance quartet featuring new choreography by Pilobolus.

Lorelei Ensemble with Pilobolus Dance Company
The Vail Series welcomes Lorelei Ensemble and a dance quartet featuring new choreography by Pilobolus

The Vail Series welcomes Lorelei Ensemble and a dance quartet featuring new choreography by Pilobolus.

Lara Downes
The Vail Series presents pianist, Lara Downes

The Vail Series welcomes pianist Lara Downes.

American Patchwork Quartet
The Vail Series presents American Patchwork Quartet

The Vail Series welcomes American Patchwork Quartet.

Nathan Laube
The Vail Series presents a Vail + event with organist, Nathan Laube

The Vail Series welcomes organist Nathan Laube.

2023 - 2024

Kittel & Co.
The Vail Series presents Kittel & Co.

The Vail Series welcomes GRAMMY®-nominated Kittel & Co.

Wild Up
The Vail Series presents Wild Up

The Vail Series welcomes GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble Wild Up as part of the TUTTI New Arts Festival

YCA on Tour
The Vail Series presents Young Concert Artists on Tour

The Vail Series welcomes YCA on Tour.

Third Coast Percussion - ‘Metamorphosis’
The Vail Series presents Third Coast Percussion - ‘Metamorphosis’

The Vail Series welcomes GRAMMY® Award-winning and Denison’s own Ensemble-in-Residence, Third Coast Percussion.

Take 6
The Vail Series presents Take 6

The Vail Series welcomes GRAMMY® award-winning a cappella group Take 6.

collectif9
The Vail Series presents collectif9

The Vail Series welcomes Juno- nominated Montreal string nonet collectif9.

2022 - 2023

MJFonTour2023
Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour presented by the Vail Series

The Vail Series welcomes the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour.

Terence Blanchard, the E-Collective, Turtle Island Quartet & Andrew F. Scott
Terence Blanchard featuring the E-Collective, Turtle Island Quartet & Andrew F. Scott presented by the Vail Series

The Vail Series welcomes Terence Blanchard featuring the E-Collective, Turtle Island Quartet & Andrew F. Scott.

Ukraine Orchestra
Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine presented by the Vail Series

The Vail Series welcomes Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine.

Fazil Say and Jamal Aliyev
Fazıl Say, Piano and Jamal Aliyev, Cello presented by the Vail Series

The Vail Series welcomes Fazıl Say and Jamal Aliyev.

The Queen’s Cartoonists
The Queen’s Cartoonists presented by the Vail Series

The Vail Series welcomes The Queen’s Cartoonists.

2021 - 2022

Roomful of Teeth
Roomful of Teeth presented by the Vail Series

The Vail Series welcomes multi-Grammy Award-winning vocal octet Roomful of Teeth.

Red Sky
Red Sky Performance

Denison University’s Dance Department, Laura C. Harris Series and Vail Series presents Red Sky Performance.

Fifth House Ensemble
TUTTI Festival concert X presented by the Vail Series: 'We Are Good':

The Department of Music presents the TUTTI Festival Concert X: "We Are Good" presented by the Vail Series.

American Spiritual Ensemble
The Vail Series presents American Spiritual Ensemble

The Vail Series presents American Spiritual Ensemble.

BLACKBIRD
The Vail Series presents ‘BLACKBIRD, FLY’

"BLACKBIRD, FLY" A Concert for Voice, Body and Strings: Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Spoken Word. Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Violin, Piano.

Aoife O'Donovan
The Vail Series presents Aoife O'Donovan

The Vail Series welcomes Grammy Award-winning artist Aoife O’Donovan.

2020 - 2021

Third Coast Percussion
The Vail Series, in partnership with Music Institute of Chicago, present a Livestream Third Coast Percussion Concert

The Vail Series is partnering with Music Institute of Chicago to bring you a Livestream performance with Third Coast Percussion.

JLCO_piper_ferguson
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

The Vail Series presents a co-sponsored livestream event, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

American Spiritual Ensemble
Vail Series Presents A Virtual Experience with American Spiritual Ensemble 'The Power of Spirituals'

The Vail Series welcomes the American Spiritual Ensemble.

Aoife O’Donovan
Vail Series presents Aoife O’Donovan

The Vail Series welcomes Aoife O’Donovan presenting a virtual concert.

2019 - 2020

Roomful of Teeth
Vail Series welcomes Roomful of Teeth

The Vail Series welcomes Grammy award winners Roomful of Teeth.

SYBARITE5
Vail Series and TUTTI 2020 welcome SYBARITE5

The Vail Series and TUTTI 2020 partner to present SYBARITE5 in a grand finale concert.

Brasil Guitar Duo with JIJI
Vail Series presents Brasil Guitar Duo with JIJI

The Vail Series welcomes Brasil Guitar Duo with JIJI presenting an evening of classical guitar music.

Matt Haimovitz
A Vail+ Event: Denison Symphony Orchestra with Matt Haimovitz present 'A Moveable Feast'

The Vail Series welcomes acclaimed cellist Matt Haimovitz and his brilliant musical variation on the concept of "A Moveable Feast."

Tarpaga Dance
Vail Series presents Baker + Tarpaga Dance Project 'When Birds Refused to Fly'

The Vail Series presents Baker + Tarpaga Dance Project "When Birds Refused to Fly," winner of a National Dance Project Award.

Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer with Rakesh Chaurasia
Vail Series presents Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer with Rakesh Chaurasia

The Vail Series welcomes Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer with Rakesh Chaurasia.

2018 - 2019

ETHEL
Denison Vail Series Presents The River: ETHEL + Robert Mirabal

The Vail Series presents ensemble-in-residence ETHEL in concert.

Isabel Leonard
Vail Series Presents 100 Years of Leonard Bernstein

100 Years of Leonard Bernstein- The Czech National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of John Mauceri featuring soloist Isabel Leonard

Dee Dee Bridgewater
Vail Series presents: Dee Dee Bridgewater

The Vail Series presents Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater in concert.

Pablo Ziegler
Vail Series presents Pablo Ziegler '12 Hours – Argentina Meets Japan'

The Vail Series welcomes GRAMMY-winning pianist, composer and arranger Pablo Ziegler presenting a U.S. premiere performance titled "12 Hours."

2017 - 2018

Photo of contemporary classical ensemble Eighth Blackbird in concert
The Vail Series presents Eighth Blackbird

The Vail Series presents contemporary classical ensemble Eighth Blackbird in concert.

Photo of South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Recent Grammy-winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo, courtesy of Vail Series

The Vail Series presents Grammy-winning South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo in concert.

Photo of Catherine Russell
The Vail Series presents Catherine Russell

The Vail Series presents Catherine Russell in concert.

Photo of the Grammy nominated chamber music ensemble Eroica Trio
The Vail Series presents Eroica Trio

The Vail Series presents the chamber music ensemble Eroica Trio in concert.

2016 - 2017

Photo of Sam Bush
Bluegrass legend Sam Bush – SOLD OUT

The Vail Series welcomes Sam Bush performing at the 2017 Bluegrass Concert.

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