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Theatre Arts students in performance of Hair, the Musical.

Arts and Culture

Connect. Explore. Inspire.

McDaniel is home to the WMC Alumni Hall theatre and Esther Prangley Rice Gallery, which host dozens of productions and exhibitions each year, right on campus. Plus, a vibrant arts scene in local Westminster means activities are always happening year-round with live theatre, musical performances, festivals, and art shows. 

The arts are an integral part of campus life at McDaniel, celebrated across campus as an opportunity to connect with one another, express creativity, and explore new perspectives. With a full calendar of public events, plus partnerships with the Westminster community, there's always something worth attending.

Students are also regularly inspired to venture across disciplines, creating a unique culture at McDaniel. It's common to meet Computer Science majors who spend time learning theatre lighting; watch Sociology majors perform in musicals; or hear about Chemistry majors interning in art restoration.

Annual Campus Events

  • Theatre Productions
  • Spring Cinema Showcase
  • Musical Performances
  • Rice Gallery Exhibitions
  • Visiting Artist and Writer Lectures
  • Academic Symposium
Public Events Calendar

What's Happening at McDaniel College

Find out what's happening at McDaniel College in McLive, the annual public events calendar.

McLive! What's happening at McDaniel College | Download the Fall 2025 Event Guide

Music Concerts and Theatre in Westminster, Maryland

Local Arts Scene

Common Ground on the Hill

The regional folklife center of the Maryland State Arts Council's Maryland Traditions program. ‍Located on McDaniel's campus, the center hosts a variety of concerts, festivals, and workshops year-round.

Carroll Arts Center

Located within walking distance of campus, the Carroll Arts Center provides exhibitions, classes, film screenings, and more. For 2023-24, McDaniel faculty, staff, and students receive $5 tickets for Carroll Arts Center Events, plus free popcorn.

Chamber Music on the Hill

Chamber Music on the Hill is devoted to performing excellent chamber music in all its diversity and to nurturing the musical interests of our young people.

Plus more to do in Westminster, Maryland

By The Numbers

50+

arts events per semester

15+

Student-run clubs and organizations dedicated to a creative pursuit

Asset 12
100+

Classes each semester in the arts

Get Involved!

A male and female student work at a table with a block of clay on it.

Student Organizations

From Clay Club to Contrast Literary Magazine, there's a student-based organization at McDaniel that will spark your interest. 

Students stand in a circle with their arms raised. The room has a panel of stained glass windows behind them.

Diverse Courses

McDaniel is a liberal arts college, which means most students explore the arts even when it's not related to their major. Explore courses in Theatre, Literature, Studio Art, Cinema, Writing, Music, and more.

An audience sits in front of President Jasken at a podium.

Attend Campus Lectures

Annual lecture series at McDaniel include the Ira G. Zepp Memorial Lecture, Bothe Poetry Reading, Wenner-Wingate Memorial Lecture, and Rembert Lecture in Enterprise Economics. Visiting speakers are also hosted by departments each semester.

Green Terror with drum

Bring the spirit to game day with McDaniel’s Pep Band! Athletic Pep Band

Get ready to bring the noise — and the pride! McDaniel’s new athletic pep band is hitting the scene, and we want you in the lineup. Whether you play brass, woodwinds, percussion, or just love pumping up the crowd, there’s a spot waiting for you. The McDaniel Pep Band meets for rehearsals 1-3 p.m. on Fridays in the fall and will perform at home football games and other sporting and campus events. 

Submit the Pep Band Interest Form

Art in Action

The sky is the limit for McDaniel Green Terrors, who discover their callings in the classroom, during internships and clubs, at conferences, and anywhere else they want to go. Innovation and exploration are all part of the McDaniel Commitment, leading to unique student experiences — which you can read more about below.

Students work on fitting the inserts and filling in the gaps with canvas fluff to even out the surface before relining.

Hands-On History

Student Kim Parson climbing a ladder with a stage light.

Spotlight on Lighting Design

Sarah Mendez at an easel wearing an apron. Behind her is a market stand with flowers.

120 Minutes of Plein-Air Painting

Drum instructor Paco Samb using a djembe while a student plays the dundun.

Drumming to the Beat

Common Ground on the Hill

Traditions Week at Common Ground

McDaniel College student Amanda Halcott portrayed Caroline in “The Grass is Greenest at the Houston Astrodome,” directed by McDaniel College student Patsy Zetkulic. Halcott is with Marshall, played by McDaniel student Corey Van Huff.

National Recognition

A student holds a paintbrush and leans over a painting on a table.

Art Department

The Art faculty works to nurture students’ ability to use art to convey their ideas through traditional, digital, and intermedia approaches to examine, interpret, understand and negotiate the natural and soci-cultural world they inhabit. Students learn that art may not only be used to convey notions of beauty, but is well equipped to meet the needs of the times it is addressing. Faculty strive to develop their students’ artistic, conceptual, and creative abilities for their own intellectual growth and for success in an art career.

Majors & Minors The Esther Prangley Rice Gallery
Students holding sheet music sing outdoors.

Music Department

The Hill is most definitely alive with the sound of music. The Music Department provides myriad opportunities for students to develop their talents in voice, piano, organ, guitar, brass and strings, as well as both single and double reeds. The music program also offers courses in music theory and composition, arranging and orchestration, music history, world musics, and popular musics. Recitals and concerts are performed each semester by such groups as the College Choir, Gospel Choir, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble and many others. 

Student Music Ensembles Upcoming Music Events
The Underpants Theatre

Theatre Arts Department

McDaniel Theatre Arts rests on a simple philosophy: Tell a story. Bring it to life. Change the world. Through our coursework and training in creative production and performance, we love witnessing a new generation of artists develop strong creative, analytic and interactive abilities that will impact culture.

Majors & Minors See a Show

Recent Arts & Culture News

All News

Annual Campus Events

  • Theatre Productions
  • Spring Cinema Showcase
  • Musical Performances
  • Rice Gallery Exhibitions
  • Visiting Artist and Writer Lectures
  • Academic Symposium
McDaniel College
2 College Hill
Westminster, MD, 21157
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