The Vail Series

Rita Moreno for The Vail Series

Upcoming Events

Here are just a few notable speakers from past years:
  • Itzhak Perlman
  • Yo-Yo Ma
  • Renée Fleming
  • Wynton Marsalis
  • Jessye Norman
  • Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer

About the Series

Welcome to Vail 24-25!

This is a year of celebrations. As we celebrate Swasey Chapel’s 100th, we welcome legendary singer, dancer, and actress Rita Moreno to The Hill for a one-night engagement in a riveting conversation with Denison President Adam Weinberg. Mark your calendars for September 15 for the rededication of the completely refurbished and updated 1924 Austin organ with a concert by Nathan Laube. Old friends and new come together to bring you the American Patchwork Quartet. Lara Downes will celebrate the centennial of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with our own Denison Symphony Orchestra. Lorelei Ensemble, an all female vocal ensemble, collaborates with dance company Pilobolus for a two-night
engagement. The Merz Trio will astonish you with their virtuosity and musicality,
capping off an exciting season for all.

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.

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.

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Sights & Sounds

Ethel Perfomance detail 1
Ethel Perfomance detail 2
Ethel Perfomance detail 3
Ethel Perfomance detail 4
Dafrakura Performance detail 1
Dafrakura Performance detail 2
Dafrakura Performance detail 3
Dafrakura Performance detail 4
Dafrakura Performance detail 5
Dafrakura Performance detail 6
Regina Carter Performance 1
Regina Carter with students 1
Regina Carter Performance 2
Regina Carter with students 2
Regina Carter in the classroom
Regina Carter Performance 3

Series Archives

1988 - 1989

Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra is one of Germany™s most important musical ambassadors, giving 80 concerts a year in Stuttgart and around the world. The brilliant English conductor Neville Marriner was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and received knighthood.

1987 - 1988

Bobby McFerrin
A 10-time Grammy Award winner, Bobby McFerrin is one of the world™s best-known vocal innovators and improvisers as well as a talented conductor of classical music. His recordings have sold more than 20 million copies.
Yo-Yo Ma & Emmanuel Ax
Yo-Yo Ma is one of the world™s most important cellists of the modern age, and Emanuel Ax is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of our time. Together, they are magic. This is Ma™s second performance at Denison.
Christopher Parkening
Christopher Parkening is celebrated as one of the world™s preeminent virtuosos of the classical guitar.A The Los Angeles Times wrote, Parkening is considered America™s reigning classical guitarist, carrying the torch of his mentor, the late AndrA©s Segovia.

1986 - 1987

Navah Perlman
Known for her lyrical eloquence on the stage, Navah Perlman has established herself as one of the most poetic and admired pianists of her generation. She has performed to critical acclaim in major concert venues throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
Czech Philharmonic
The Czech Philharmonic has won ten Grand Prix du Disque de l'AcadA©mie Charles Cros, five Grand Prix du disgue de l'AcadA©mie franA§aise and several Cannes Classical awards. VA¡clav Neumann (1920-1995) was a talented Czech conductor and proponent of the music of Gustav Mahler and of Czech composers.
Kathleen Battle
Soprano Kathleen Battle's luminous voice has been called "...without qualification, one of the very few most beautiful in the world" (The Washington Post). What has perhaps distinguished her most is her ability to create an unwavering emotional bond between herself, her music and her audience.
Andrea Lucchesini
Born in 1965, Andrea Lucchesini began a brilliant international career in 1983 and since then has been engaged as a soloist with major orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Houston Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra.

1985 - 1986

Mitchell/Ruff Duo
The Mitchell-Ruff Duo was officially formed in 1955 when pianist Dwike Mitchell and bassist and French horn player Willie Ruff left Lionel Hampton's band to strike out on their own, but they first met back in 1947, playing in an Air Force band. This was their second performance at Denison.
Yo-Yo Ma & Patricia Zander
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. Patricia Zander, pianist, teacher and mentor, toured with Ma for ten years. This was Ma™s first of many performances at Denison.

1984 - 1985

Leontyne Price
Operatic soprano and national treasure Leontyne Price has been honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of the Arts, and 19 Grammy awards, including a special Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra is the nation™s only full-time professional chamber orchestra. Pinchas Zukerman, who was Saint Paul™s director from 1980 to 1987, is renowned for being one of the world™s greatest violinists. This was Saint Paul™s second performance at Denison, and Zukerman™s third.
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra is the nation™s only full-time professional chamber orchestra. Pinchas Zukerman, who was Saint Paul™s director from 1980 to 1987, is renowned for being one of the greatest violinists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

1983 - 1984

The Chamber Music Society Of Lincoln Center
As the nation™s premier repertory company for chamber music, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center brings audiences the finest performances of an extraordinary body of repertoire, dating as far back as the Renaissance and continuing through the centuries to the finest works of our time.
Lorin Hollander
Lorin Hollander is a world-renowned concert pianist with a continuously acclaimed career that began with a Carnegie Hall debut at age 11. An internationally recognized spokesman for the transformation of education, he has testified before the U.S. Congress as a visionary and advocate for the arts.
Pinchas Zukerman
Equally respected as a violinist, violist, conductor, pedagogue and chamber musician, Pinchas Zukerman is a master of our time. The Los Angeles Times called him expressively resourceful, infectiously musical, technically impeccable¦ and The New York Times said he generates a warm, liquid sound that fills a hall.
The Mitchell/Ruff Duo & Dizzy Gillespie
The Mitchell-Ruff Duo was officially formed in 1955 when the pianist Dwike Mitchell and the bassist and French horn player Willie Ruff left Lionel Hampton's band to strike out on their own. American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer and composer Dizzy Gillespie requires no further introduction.

1982 - 1983

Lynn Harrell
Cellist Lynn Harrell is a consummate soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, conductor and teacher. His work throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia has placed him in the highest echelon of today™s performing artists.
Jon Hendricks & Company
Jon Hendricks™ trademark is that each song is a fully realized story, which earned him the nickname the James Joyce of jive. In 1981 he formed Jon Henricks and Company, featuring his wife, Judith, his daughter, Michelle, and Bob Gurland.
Alicia De Larrocha
Reuters called Alicia de Larrocha the greatest Spanish pianist in history. She won multiple Grammy Awards, a Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts, and became the first Spanish artist to win the UNESCO Prize.

1981 - 1982

Peter Serkin
Throughout his career, renowned pianist Peter Serkin has successfully conveyed the essence of four centuries of musical repertoire, and his performances with symphony orchestras, recital appearances, chamber music collaborations and recordings are respected worldwide.
American String Quartet
Formed in 1974 when its original members were students at Juilliard, the American String Quartet was launched by winning both the Coleman Competition and the Naumburg Chamber Music Award in the same year. It is internationally recognized as one of the world™s foremost quartets.

1980 - 1981

New England Ragtime Ensemble
The New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble and its conductor, Gunther Schuller, are best remembered for Joplin: The Red Back Book in 1974, which won the Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance. Schuller also has been honored with a Pulitzer and a MacArthur genius award.
The Jazz Tap Ensemble
The Jazz Tap Ensemble is dedicated to those two great American traditions”tap dancing and jazz music. Hailed as leaders in the renaissance of tap, the Ensemble™s dancers and musicians have virtuosic talents and bring a spirited display of creativity and spontaneity.
The Cleveland Quartet
Since its inception in 1969, the Cleveland Quartet has played more than 2,500 concerts around the world, created award-winning recordings of more than 60 chamber works, premiered new music by contemporary composers, and spent countless hours as dedicated conservatory teacher-performers.

1979 - 1980

Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman has earned the superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. One of the preeminent violin virtuosos of the 20th century, he has performed for presidents and royalty and was awarded the National Medal of Arts and Kennedy Center Honors.
The Mclain Family Band
The McLain Family Band toured the nation and 62 countries around the world. Instrumentally, this bluegrass band was strictly acoustic, with compositions of their own as well as a repertoire that drew upon country standards and eastern Kentucky traditional music.
Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, both award-winning actors, writers and activists have led extraordinary lives with history-making careers. Together, they were awarded the National Medal of Arts, Kennedy Center Honors, and were inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame.
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