For students and Athens' residents looking for a memorable night of music, the Ohio University Performing Arts and Concert Series offers an evening of entertainment.
The Concerts on the Green series are outdoor concerts featuring performances by student and faculty ensembles. The series does not require an entry fee. It is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket to sit back and enjoy the music on the Green.
The fall 2026 schedule featured Ohio Brass Tuesday. The Marching 110 performs Sept. 1, the OU Jazz Faculty Sept. 8, a Choral Reading of the Declaration of Independence Sept. 10, Ohio String Ensemble Sept. 15 and OHIO Choirs Sept. 22.
All events start at 6 p.m. on College Green in the West Portico. The concerts are presented by the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts and the Ohio School of Music with support from the Ohio Arts Council and Envisage Wealth.
Andrew Holzaepfel, director of the OU Performing Arts and Concert Series, has been involved with the concert series for the last 25 years.
Holzaepfel said the program is a partnership between the School of Music and Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts, creating opportunity for collaboration.
“It’s really an interesting puzzle to try to bring both entertainment and educational fine arts programming to Ohio University ... to the region, Athens, the students (and) the faculty and staff we want and need,” Holzaepfel said. “It can be hard, but it’s also super fun and challenging.”
Holzaepfel said the goal is to provide entertainment for the city but also support the needs of the region. The concert series are easy to access and welcome anyone interested.
"It's so easy just to stop by, you can stand in the back," Holzaepfel said. "Bring your Chipotle out there, bring your Starbucks over and sit down for a minute, you can sit down for five minutes or you can be there for the whole hour."
For those overseeing a specific performance in the series, preparation for the show starts early.
Dan Dennis, associate professor of instruction in the School of Theater, is director of the Choral Reading of the Declaration of Independence event.
The performance includes a choral reading of the Declaration of Independence, and is expected to last under one hour. It will feature about 100 performers.
“This is a collaborative, creative way to speak these words that are a founding document for the country that we live in, and the community we have here in Athens, as well as in Ohio and in the United States,” Dennis said. “It feels really good that people are interested in having the conversation that we have (with) participants across College of Fine Arts.”
Dennis said rehearsal will be an ongoing process throughout the next few weeks, but he is looking forward to the upcoming performance.
“It’ll be a nice evening just sitting under the trees and enjoying the spectacle and the words, letting them resonate with you, and hopefully sparking some conversation,” Dennis said.
Ellie Furst, a junior studying trumpet performance, said her experience when attending the concert and supporting performers is rewarding.
“I think it’s nice that the community is brought here too,” Furst said. “It means a lot that we’re here as a university, but also the community supports us and they like what we have going on, that’s really cool.”
With multiple performances on the green, the concert series continues to bring people together through the end of September.
