Department of Visual and Performing Arts

As a visual and performing arts student, you can get involved in student organizations and various events. You'll also have the chance to prepare for a career in the arts with experience through various opportunities like:

• Jonathan Riess Undergraduate Art History Colloquium
• Dayton Opera Apprentice Program
• The Common Good Players
• Dunbar Music Archive and Research

Dance Performance

Love to dance? UD's Dance Ensemble offers an enriching opportunity for you to refine your skills and expand your artistic horizons. The ensemble is open to all majors, with auditions in early fall and spring semesters.

Instrumental Performance

Not only can you study privately with outstanding faculty on your instrument for credit, but you can play with a variety of groups, numerous chamber groups and small ensembles — all taught and coached by our artist faculty on a weekly basis. All of our ensembles are open to all students, although some do require auditions.

In addition, we often host special concerts for our instrumentalists such as master-classes and guest solo appearances by prominent artists. The city of Dayton boasts a very active arts community.

We have an instrumental faculty who are engaged in teaching and active as performers. For more information about them, visit our faculty by area page.

Keyboard Performance

Your growth and success as a musician is our top priority. As a piano student at the University of Dayton, you'll take weekly private lessons with a member of our artist faculty, with regular opportunities to perform and get helpful feedback from piano faculty and your peers in our weekly Wednesday at One seminars. In addition, from time to time we bring in visiting concert artists for master classes.

We offer specialists in the full range of keyboard music, and you'll have the chance to follow your interests and develop your skills working with our various instrumental and vocal ensembles.

You'll find successful UD pianists in many places, in competitive graduate programs across the country, performing and accompanying at the Metropolitan Opera, colleges, schools and churches, as well as teaching at all levels from conservatory to private studio. Many UD pianists are using their skills as successful music educators and music therapists. We hope you will become part of this proud procession!

Theatrical Performance

If you're interested in theatre opportunities, check out our theatre productions, the Common Good Players and Lyric Theatre productions.

Vocal Performance

Private and class voice instruction is offered each semester and is open to music majors, as well as non-music majors. Voice students have regular opportunities to perform and receive helpful feedback from voice faculty, guest artists and your peers in our weekly Wednesday at One seminars.

Please visit our faculty by area listing to find more information on our voice faculty. As you'll see from faculty backgrounds and experience, we enjoy a variety of musical styles! Many of our former students are enjoying successful careers or have also pursued advanced study in competitive graduate music programs across the country.

Vocal performance opportunities on and off campus are diverse and include choirs for campus ministry services, recitals and annual master classes with exciting visiting artists, including Dayton Opera professional singers. Come pursue your passion for singing here at the University of Dayton.

The Pride of Dayton Marching Band is a show band from the University of Dayton, recognized for our energetic parade dances and powerful halftime performances.

The Flyer Pep Band performs for a variety of events, having fun and promoting school spirit.

The Roger Glass Center for the Arts elevates the arts on campus and provides greater connection with the Dayton community through concerts, dance and theater performances, and visual art exhibits featuring students, faculty, visiting artists and community members.