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

2016 - 2017

Photo of NOW Ensemble
NOW Ensemble in concert

The Department of Music welcomes NOW Ensemble in concert.

Photo of Wynton Marsalis and vocalist Catherine Russell
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis – SOLD OUT

The Vail Series welcomes the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis performing "Big Band Holidays."

Image of Gabriel Alegría and the Afro-Peruvian Sextet
Gabriel Alegría and the Afro-Peruvian Sextet

The Vail Series presents Gabriel Alegría and the Afro-Peruvian Sextet.

2015 - 2016

Denison’s ensemble-in-residence, ETHEL
The Vail Series: ETHEL’s ‘Documerica’

Denison’s ensemble-in-residence, ETHEL,, presents "Documerica," a multimedia concert.

Image of Cyrille Aimée
The Vail Series presents Cyrille Aimée

The Vail Series presents Cyrille Aimée.

Portrait of Regina Carter
The Vail Series presents: Regina Carter's "Southern Comfort" concert

The Vail Series welcomes genre-spanning violinist Regina Carter for her Southern Comfort Concert.

The Metropolitan Opera Rising Stars
Vail Series presents: The Metropolitan Opera Rising Stars

Vail Series presents the Metropolitan Opera Rising Stars Concert, featuring the next generation of leading men and women at the renowned "Met."

Vail Series presents: Dafra Kura Band
Vail Series presents: Dafra Kura Band

The Vail Series welcomes the Dafra Kura Band, hailing from Burkina Faso and performing world music, traditional and contemporary sounds from Africa.

2014 - 2015

Photo of the quartet "Sweet Honey In The Rock."
Sweet Honey in the Rock

The Vail Series presents "Sweet Honey In The Rock."

Turtle Island Quartet
"Turtle Island Quartet"

The Vail Series presents "Turtle Island Quartet."

Billy Collins
Poet Laureate Billy Collins

The Vail Series presents Poet Laureate Billy Collins.

Photo of "The Ahn Trio"
The Ahn Trio

The Vail Series presents "The Ahn Trio."

Photo of Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer
Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer in concert

The Vail Series presents Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer.

2013 - 2014

Photo of Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin Concert

The Vail Series presents the multi-talented Bobby McFerrin.

Photo of Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin

The Vail Series presents the multi-talented Bobby McFerrin.

Photo of Julian Lage with percussionist Tupac Mantilla and bass player Jorge Roeder
Julian Lage Trio

The Vail Series presents a concert by the Julian Lage Trio.

Sphinx Virtuosi
Sphinx Virtuosi

The Vail Series presents 'Sphinx Virtuosi.'

Ethel in studio
Stunning strings

The Vail Series presents string quartet 'Ethel'

2012 - 2013

Jessye Norman, Soprano
Volcanic power, inspired performance, irresistible magnetism... According to the New York Times, Jessye Norman is one of those once-in-a-generation singers who are not simply following in the footsteps of others, but staking out her own niche in the history of singing. This is an amazing voice, a catalogue of all that is virtuous in singing. No matter what the style or repertoire”from classical music to new”the sound of Jessye Norman™s voice resonating in Swasey Chapel might just cause the supporting beams to tremble.
Keith Lockhart & The Bbc Concert Orchestra
Famous for their legendary versatility, the BBC Concert Orchestra players can turn their hands to classical jazz, film music and crossover. This allows for an appetite of music in any forum or venue, with the talent to back it up. Keith Lockhart took up the baton to become the BBC Concert Orchestra™s seventh principal conductor in August 2010. He joins the BBC team while continuing his successful work with the Boston Pops, where he has been conductor since 1995.
Chucho Valdez Quintet
The New York Times calls Cuban pianist Chucho Valdez' concerts such a controlled detonation of music that it kicks down your defenses. They refer to him as a pianist of imperial command. In fact, most critics seem to be surprised that after a lifelong career, he still surprises them. Hailed as one of the world™s great virtuosic pianists by the Times, eight-time Grammy Award winner Valdez has recorded more than 80 CDs, performing with countless jazz masters, including Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, and Chick Corea. Last here in 2002, this will be Valdez' second Vail appearance.
A Far Cry with Matt Haimovitz, Cellist
A Far Cry stands at the forefront of an exciting new generation in classical music. According to the New York Times, the self-conducted orchestra brims with personality or, better, personalities many & varied. On this occasion, the Criers share the stage with a renowned musical pioneer who, according to The New Yorker, electrifies listeners from a few feet away in an intimate club, to the last rows of a concert hall...An expressive maximalist, Matt Haimovitz calls forth a dazzling spectrum of sounds from the depths of his instrument.

2011 - 2012

The Knights
Vail™s 32nd season ends with a chamber orchestra sure to take the audience on an oxygen-fueled romp painted in vivid hues(The New York Times). The Knights chamber orchestra brings energy and a joy of musical exploration to the Swasey stage as they perform classics and new music in a gutsy, exhilarating style. WeA do it all, they say---Beethoven, pop, classical, rock. Pretty much anything anyone feels strongly about musically, the group will take seriously and give it aA shot.
Dada Masilo
You must not miss this brash and breathtaking young artist in her premiere American performance. South African dancer and choreographer Dada Masilo is still in her 20s but has already established herself as one of the world's most stunningly innovative, exquisitely unconventional thinkers and interpreters of dance. Known for her "astonishingly quick and often jarring fusion of African dance and classical ballet" (CNN World), Masilo opens our eyes to the places where western and African traditions meet, collide, and create beauty.
Munich Symphony Orchestra & Gloriae Dei Cantores
The acclaimed Munich Symphony Orchestra and world-class concert choir Gloriae Dei Cantores will fill Swasey chapel with Schoenberg's beautiful "Verklarte Nacht" and Mozart's exquisite "Requiem" in late October. Join us, and Denison's own Chamber Singers, for this evening of voice and instrument under the baton of conductor Philippe Entremont.
Yuja Wang
Our 2011 Vail season opens with the incomparable pianist Yuja Wang, who must be heard live to be believed. Don't miss a rare opportunity to see this renowned performer, who the New York Times says "seems to have everything: speed, flexibility, pianistic thunder and interpretive nuance." Her program will include works by Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Debussy, Ravel, AlbA©niz and Scriabin. We know you'll agree with the Detroit News, who calls Yuja Wang "simply the most important new pianist to appear in recent years, period."

2010 - 2011

Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain
Vail's transcendent season-ender will stretch your assumptions about the banjo, drum, and bass to the breaking point. BA©la Fleck, Zakir Hussain, and Edgar Meyer are masterful musicians who synthesize elements of Indian classical, Americana and baroque, creating a powerful expression of beauty--and a Swasey Chapel performance for the ages.
New Century Chamber Orchestra
Join us for this magnificent event as one of the world's preeminent violinists performs with her own audacious chamber orchestra. Heralded as "unexcelled in the concert hall today," Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and the New Century Chamber Orchestra bring irresistible, "undeniable virtuosity" (Chicago Sun-Times) as they storm the Swasey stage with classical music in a fresh, fearless style.
Pacifica Quartet with Menahem Pressler
Get ready for edge-of-your-seat chamber music. The Sunday Times (London) called the Pacifica Quartet "stupendous, breathtaking virtuosity...intellectual fire." And joining Pacifica for this Vail Series performance is Menahem Pressler, offering a rare opportunity to hear "a living legend" (Boston Globe). This will be an unforgettable evening of chamber music crafted in a fresh, bold style, with both "vigor, and delicacy" (The New York Times).
Mark O'Connor & Dailey & Vincent
Vail™s 31st season kicks off with a virtuoso jam. The New York Times called Mark O™Connor the only musician today who can reach so deeply first into the refined, then the vernacular, giving his listeners complex, sophisticated¦ classical music¦ and the brown-dirt whine of a Texas Fiddle. Together with the superlative and authentic Dailey and Vincent bluegrass band, this is American music at its finest, with strings, harmonies, and the flat-out joy of making music.

2009 - 2010

Yuja Wang with Russian National Orchestra
In demand throughout the music world ever since its 1990 premiere, the RNO, conducted by Patrick Summers, shares the stage with the marvelously gifted Yuja Wang, known for her blazing technique and rare instinct for poetry. This performance marks Yuja™s fifth appearance at Denison University since 2004.
Imani Winds with Stefon Harris
Best described as a dazzling display of sounds and tones not typical to the classical music lover™s ear,the innovative woodwind quintet successfully marries classical with jazz and world influences. On this occasion, the astonishing young vibraphonist - composer Stefon Harris joins the quintet in performing his new work created especially for the Imani Winds.
"From The Top"
Hosted by the acclaimed pianist Christopher O'Riley, the wildly popular NPR program will celebrate its 10th birthday with a special concert at Denison featuring some of the show's favorite young alumni from past seasons.
Chanticleer
This Grammy award-winning ensemble will perform more than 100 concerts in 2009-10, with programs ranging from Renaissance to jazz and from gospel to venturesome new music. Chanticleer is known around the world as an orchestra of voices.

2008 - 2009

Renee Fleming
One of the most beloved and celebrated musical ambassadors of our time, soprano Renee Fleming captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry, and compelling stage presence. Known as the people's diva, she continues to grace the world's greatest opera stages and concert halls.
Brooklyn Rider
The adventurous, genre-defying string quartet Brooklyn Rider is comprised of Johnny Gandelsman and Colin Jacobsen, violin; Nicholas Cords, viola; and Eric Jacobsen, cello. They combine an eclectic repertoire with a gripping style that is drawing critical acclaim from classical, world, and rock critics.
Sphinx Chamber Orchestra
This unique group envisions a world in which classical music reflects cultural diversity and plays a role in the everyday lives of youth. It earned rave reviews from The New York Times, which said it produced a more beautiful, precise, and carefully shaped sound than some fully professional orchestras.
Capoeira Angola
Capoeira Angola, the traditional style of the Brazilian form of dance, is often characterized by playful, ritualized games. The combination of dancing, combat, and music, while stressing interaction between the two players and the musicians and observers is electrifying to audiences.

2007 - 2008

Yuja Wang & Friends
Yuja Wang is widely recognized for playing that combines the spontaneity and fearless imagination of youth with the discipline and precision of a mature artist. In her fourth performance at Denison, the charismatic performer is joined by the Denison University student orchestra. This is Wang™s second appearance at Denison.
Yo-Yo Ma & Friends
One of the world's foremost cellists, Yo-Yo Ma has produced a phenomenal body of work, of his 75 albums, 15 have won Grammy awards. His multi-faceted career is testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences, and to his personal desire for artistic growth and renewal. This is his fifth appearance at Denison.
Chicago Children'S Choir
The multiracial, multicultural Chicago Children™s Choir was in 1956 during the Civil Rights Movement, at Hyde Park™s First Unitarian Church. Today™s critically acclaimed Choir is fully independent and serves all of Chicago”a choir combining high artistic standards with a social purpose.
Natalie Macmaster
Natalie MacMaster is an electrifying performer whose passionate proficiency on the beloved four-string fiddle amplifies the traditional East Coast sound for contemporary times. MacMaster says, Music has given me another layer and dimension of feeling because it really broadens the soul and really broadens the heart.

2006 - 2007

Los Angeles Guitar Quartet & Luciana Souza
The members of the Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet continue to set the standard for expression and virtuosity among guitar ensembles. Luciana Souza™s work transcends traditional boundaries and offers an enlightened approach to classical repertoire and new music.
Yuja Wang
Chinese pianist Yuja Wang is widely recognized for playing that combines the spontaneity and fearless imagination of youth with the discipline and precision of a mature artist. Wang has been praised for her authority over the complex technical demands of her repertoire and her charismatic stage presence.
Bronfman, Shaham & Harrell
Member of the Bronfman/Shaham/Harrell trio are stars in their own right: pianist Yefim Bronfman, violinist Gil Shaham and cellist Lynn Harrell are international soloists at the top of their game. Their delicate and intricate interplay of sounds give new definition to their performance repertoire.
The Five Browns
The 5 Browns are the first family of five ever accepted simultaneously to the Julliard School of Music. Playing five Steinway pianos, the siblings reveal a deep connection to their material while bringing a fresh energy and dynamic character to the color and tonal spectrum of their sound.

2005 - 2006

"From The Top"
Broadcast on nearly 250 stations nationwide to an audience of more than 700,000 listeners each week, From the Top is one of the most popular classical music programs on radio. Hosted by acclaimed pianist Christopher O'Riley, each broadcast reveals the heart and soul behind extraordinary young musicians. This is From the Top's third appearance at Denison.
Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra & Wynton Marsalis
Comprising 15 of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra was founded in 1988. An American jazz and Western classical virtuoso trumpeter and composer, Wynton Marsalis is the only artist to win both classical and jazz Grammy Awards in the same year.
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra & Sarah Chang
Established in 1898, The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra remains among the world™s top orchestras. Violinist Sarah Chang is recognized the world over as one of classical music™s most captivating and gifted performers. The young artist™s musical insight, technical virtuosity, and emotional range continue to astonish.

2004 - 2005

Andre Watts
Virtuoso pianist AndrA© Watts burst upon the music world at the age of 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic. Since then, Watts has played before royalty and heads of government worldwide and remains one of today™s most celebrated and beloved superstars.
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