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Alumni Profiles
Dr. Michael Denham '74
Alumni Achievement
Director of Music Ministries at The National Presbyterian Church
Washington D.C.
Dr. Michael Denham has served since 1997 as Director of Music Ministries at The National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., where he leads or directs several choirs and occasional instrumental ensembles and orchestras, helps craft the congregation’s worship services, and oversees a thriving concert series with outreach to the larger community of the nation’s capital. For 10 years prior to his appointment at the National Presbyterian Church he served on the faculties of three state universities in Texas.
Director of Music Ministries at The National Presbyterian Church
Washington D.C.
Dr. Michael Denham has served since 1997 as Director of Music Ministries at The National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., where he leads or directs several choirs and occasional instrumental ensembles and orchestras, helps craft the congregation’s worship services, and oversees a thriving concert series with outreach to the larger community of the nation’s capital. For 10 years prior to his appointment at the National Presbyterian Church he served on the faculties of three state universities in Texas.
Dr. Denham has been widely acclaimed for his lyrical artistry and interpretation in opera, oratorio, concert and recital. His operatic and musical credits include The Barber of Seville, The Magic Flute, The Abduction from the Seraglio, Gianni Schicchi, Madame Butterfly, Carmen, Susannah, The Student Prince, Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, and Brigadoon. “Musically and dramatically impressive,” wrote Opera Canada, describing his portrayal of the central role of Prince Edmund in a premiere of Stewart Copeland’s Holy Blood and Crescent Moon.
Dr. Denham has appeared as soloist with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Symphony of Southeast Texas, Xalapa Symphony Orchestra in Monterrey, Mexico, Virginia Chamber Orchestra, Washington Bach Consort, and with Cathedral Choral Society in Washington National Cathedral. He has premiered a number of works written for him, including Marc Satterwhite’s Painting for the Blind, a cycle of songs for tenor and orchestra nominated for the coveted Prix de Rome.
A graduate of Wheaton College, Dr. Denham holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Illinois, a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and performer’s certificates from the Hochschule “Mozarteum” in Salzburg, Austria. He completed all coursework toward the Doctor of Musical Arts from the College of Music at the University of North Texas, where he also was named Distinguished Teaching Fellow in 1990. He has taught at the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Arlington, and Lamar University. An ordained minister, he earned the Doctor of Ministry degree from Beeson Divinity School of Samford University, where he also was named Distinguished Alumnus for 2019. He is the author of Reverberating Word: Powerful Worship (Wipf and Stock, 2018).
Dr. Denham is married to Laurie Hein Denham, who currently serves as Executive Director of The National Association of Women Judges. They have four adult children and four wonderful grandchildren.
Casady School is an independent, co-educational, college preparatory, Episcopal day school serving students in pre-k-12. Educating Mind, Body, and Spirit.
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Casady School is a PreK-12, independent, college preparatory Episcopal day school committed to deeper-level learning. Casady School welcomes a student body that reflects the diversity of the world around us and therefore does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletics, and other school-administered programs generally accorded or made available to students at the School.