Elizabethtown College recently named Dr. Hayden Denesha as Artist in Residence and Director of Instrumental Studies at Elizabethtown College.
The Artist in Residence program seeks to identify a visionary musician who represents Elizabethtown College to the regional community and enriches music instruction on campus.
“Naming Hayden Denesha as Artist in Residence continues a tradition of partnering with regional high schools and arts organizations to support investments in the arts,” Elizabethtown College Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, Kevin Shorner-Johnson said. “I could not be more thrilled or excited for the future of our instrumental ensembles with the outstanding and talented leadership of Dr. Denesha. He is a leader with artistic vision, enthusiasm, and a drive to connect with the lives of musicians of all ages and abilities.”
A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Denesha is a passionate conductor known for his intensity and his dedication to the education of audiences and young musicians. In addition to teaching at Etown, he serves as Associate Conductor of the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestras.
Under his tenure, the Youth Orchestra program has grown to serve over 200 students in Northern Virginia becoming a premiere program in the state. Denesha most recently served as Assistant Conductor for the Peabody Youth Orchestra and worked as an Assistant Conductor and Youth Orchestra Conductor for the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra.
In addition to raising the profile of Etown’s College-Community Orchestra, and offering meaningful contributions among regional orchestras, Denesha has led or workshopped five all-county ensembles in the regional area since 2020.
“I am excited to join the faculty in this new role and be a part of an academic institution that has a family-like atmosphere amongst its campus community, which embraces values of kindness and determination,” Denesha, who joined Etown as an Adjunct Faculty member in fall 2021, shared.
Denesha was also named the Director of Instrumental Studies at Elizabethtown College. In that role, he coordinates applied instrumental study, manages inventory, supports instrumental auditions, and coordinates instrumental ensembles. Denesha will also offer contributions and leadership to music theory and the College’s Music Education program.
“In my new role, I hope to use my skill set to help solidify the music department as an integral part of the Elizabethtown College experience for all students,” Denesha said. “I look forward to growing all aspects of the instrumental studies area, especially our Music Education program.”
Denesha holds conducting degrees from the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, the University of South Carolina, and the State University of New York at Fredonia.
He assumes the role of Etown’s Artist in Residence from David Cullen, who is retiring from the College at the end of the fall 2023 semester.
“As a Grammy Award winner and an outstanding teacher and mentor, Mr. Cullen has enriched the lives of countless students and the artistic life of the College,” Shorner-Johnson said. “Words cannot express our gratitude for his enrichment of our community.”