With a very heavy heart we announce today that Chapman University Professor Emerita Nancy Dickson-Lewis, former chair of the Department of Dance, passed away on Tuesday, March 23, after a lengthy battle with cancer. The entire College of Performing Arts and Chapman community offer our most heartfelt condolences to her husband David Lewis, and her
For the second consecutive year, Chapman University’s Department of Dance has earned honors from DanceUS.org, this time recognized as one of the top three collegiate programs in California and top 24 in the nation for 2020–21. In May 2022, the department anticipates the opening of its new dance facility which will provide students significantly expanded
Orange County’s first collegiate Mariachi ensemble debuts this fall in Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music Winter Showcase on December 12, 2020. Led by Dr. Tammy Yi, Mariachi Panteras (Panthers) is dedicated to the performance of traditional Mexican music, including the son, huapango, corrido, polka, and ranchera genres learned by ear, using traditional instruments such
Craig Shields (BM in Percussion Performance, BM (Music Education Pre-Certification) ’12) and his Latin alternative/world folk band Cuñao have been invited to perform at the annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration December 2020 at The Music Center. A lecturer in Chapman’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of music, Shields said the band was also featured in last year’s event, broadcast
Chapman University music theory lecturer Michael Lee, an Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester, NY) alumnus, was invited along with other composers to write fanfares in celebration of the school’s Centennial Celebration this fall. His fanfare, dedicated to Mark Scatterday and the Eastman School of Music, is titled Fanfare for the Unspoken Heroes of
Stephany Elliott has accepted the role of administrative assistant for the Department of Theatre at Chapman University, effective July 20, 2020. She will report directly to Department Chair and Professor John Benitz and will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the department, supporting faculty and students, and helping prospective students and their families
Dominique Schafer, assistant professor of music composition, has been awarded tenure posthumously. Professor Schafer passed away in mid-2019 after battling pancreatic cancer for a year. A renowned composer with an impressive international reputation, Dominique was a kind and engaging colleague who brightened the classrooms and hallways of the Conservatory of Music and the entire Chapman
The College of Performing Arts proudly announces that John Benitz, chair of the Department of Theatre, has been promoted from Associate to Full Professor of Theatre. This promotion acknowledges John’s demonstrated excellence in teaching and prolonged and active participation in his professional field. John has consistently built a record of scholarly/creative accomplishments of high quality,
Did you know? Great discounts, and even free tickets, are available to all Chapman students, faculty, and staff for performances by the College of Performing Arts this spring! We’ve made it super easy, with no special codes to remember: Log in to tickets.chapman.edu. Select the category “College of Performing Arts” from the drop-down menu. Choose
Four CoPA Music seniors will present their capstone thesis projects at the Student Scholar Symposium on Wednesday, December 4, in Beckman Hall Room 404, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. These projects represent the culmination of a year of hard work by these students. The public is invited to see the poster displays, meet the