Denison University Music Department

04/30/2026

Congratulations to President’s Medalist Erica Lynn Elefson - A double major in chemistry and music performance!
The preeminent criterion for receipt of a President’s Medal, which was established in 1985, is academic achievement.
In addition, candidates must embody some combination of the following: service to the community, contribution to the arts, enlargement of the community’s global perspective, athletic fitness and achievement, leadership ability and contribution to community discourse.
Erica Elefson is a “scholar-artist” who embodies the breadth and depth of a liberal arts education. Her faculty describe her as capable of traversing disciplinary boundaries with ease.
A leader in the DU Wind Ensemble since her first semester, she is also a gifted percussionist and winner of the 2024 Concerto-Aria Competition. Her artistry reached an international stage, representing Denison in South Korea and collaborating with conservatory students in Poland. Locally, she fosters community and spirit through her band, DOGHOUSE. Read full story at https://denison.edu/campus/awards/wh/161682

02/13/2026

Collegium Musicum of Ohio and the Denison Symphony Orchestra present a concert featuring music by Prokofiev, Brahms, Stravinsky, and Strauss. Denison faculty featured on the program include guest conductor Philip Rudd and pianist San Sung Aum.

This event is free and open to the public and will take place at First Community North, 3777 Dublin Rd., Columbus. Tickets are not required.

02/06/2026

Bluegrass and American Roots Festival
February 20 & 21
Concerts at 7PM each night in Swasey Chapel
Saturday workshop at 2:00 in the Eisner Center
Tickets free but required at artsatdenison.ludus.com

The Department of Music presents the 21st Annual Bluegrass and American Roots Festival, featuring Kenny & Amanda Smith on Friday night and East Nash Grass on Saturday night.

Each concert opens with a short set by Denison’s Bluegrass and American Roots Ensemble, directed by Adam Schlenker.

On Saturday afternoon, join us for workshops where students, local musicians, and guest artists will form pop-up bands for rehearsals, jamming, and performances in a lively band-mixer format.


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12/17/2025

A holiday serenade from Philip Rudd and the Denison Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops—one of our favorite traditions! 🎶✨

12/08/2025

Final concert of the semester: American Roots Concert
December 12, 7PM
Swasey Chapel
Free, tickets not needed

What a difference 50 years can make!

The Denison University American Roots Ensemble, directed by Adam Schlenker, celebrates the 50th anniversary of J.D. Crowe and The New South’s landmark album "Rounder 0044" while looking back another 50 years to explore the roots of stringband and early country music from 1925.

From the first million-selling country hit, “The Prisoner’s Song” (1925), to the groundbreaking sounds of Rounder 0044 (1975), the concert traces a half-century of musical evolution — and shows how much (and how little) has changed since.

12/04/2025

Summer TUTTI High School Performing Arts Camp
June 20-28
This week-long camp offers talented high school dancers, musicians, and theatre-makers a chance to deepen their skills while collaborating with professional artists, ensembles, and peers from across the country.
Applications are OPEN, https://summertutti.denison.edu

11/13/2025

'Opera comes off its pedestal'
Students from studio instructor Emily Noël’s opera ensemble meet twice a week to practice their pieces and learn opera singing. Many students don’t have much previous experience in opera.

The aim of this ensemble — the only one of its kind on campus — is to teach students that opera doesn’t need to be an inaccessible, hard-to-reach performance art.

You have an opportunity to see Denison’s Opera Workshop perform a selection of short scenes from Mozart’s operas in an intimate, studio-style setting on November 20, 7PM, in Burke Recital Hall, Eisner Center.

Read the full story, written by Abbie Greenleaf '27, at

On Nov. 20, Denison’s Opera Ensemble will perform a selection of Mozart songs.

09/05/2025

Faculty Spotlight | Bryon Stripling
We're excited to announce renowned musician Byron Stripling’s appointment as Professor of Practice in the Music Department leading the trumpet studio.

Stripling rose to fame as lead trumpeter and soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Thad Jones and Frank Foster and has played and recorded extensively with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, in addition to The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and Carnegie Hall Jazz Bands.

Stripling is also an accomplished conductor and since his Carnegie Hall debut has conducted many of the nation’s top orchestras, including the Boston Pops, the National Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Detroit and Toronto Symphonies and is currently Artistic Director and conductor of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and Principal Pops Conductor for the Pittsburgh and Milwaukee symphonies.

Educated at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, one of Stripling's greatest joys is to return, periodically, to Eastman and Interlochen as a special guest lecturer.

We're excited by all the ways Stripling’s artistry and experience will shape Denisonians for years to come!
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08/13/2025

🎹 From rediscovering the piano to composing his own concerto, Rumi Kang ’26 is turning an ambitious dream into music.

Rumi Kang ’26 is challenging himself to write a piano concerto. It’s tedious but rewarding work aided by award-winning composer Professor Ching-chu Hu.

06/05/2025