What is the Temianka Archival Scholars Program?

The Temianka Archival Scholars Program* is an academic, student-employment opportunity designed to introduce students to conducting research with manuscripts and archival material during their enrollment at Chapman University. Students will work within the Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives and be supervised by the Chair of Special Collections and Archives. The program is generously funded by Dr. Daniel Temianka in honor of his father, Henri Temianka.

Students selected for the program will:

  • Work with rare books, manuscripts, and/or archival collections
  • Analyze items of cultural significance and improve their research skills
  • Assist in day-to-day tasks of the department
  • Partner with mentors in the Leatherby Libraries who will guide them on their research plans
  • Conduct research on the unpublished music manuscript of violinist Henri Temianka
  • Write blogs summarizing the research and work conducted in Special Collections
  • Create end-products that focus on their research, such as an academic talk, a poster presentation, or an online exhibition

Application Deadline: Students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Preference will be given to applicants who apply before September 30, 2022.

How to Apply

The Temianka Archival Scholars program is competitive; we will only select one student per academic year. Applications are restricted to Chapman University students enrolled in the 2022-2023 academic year. Please apply at this job portal, submit your resume, and briefly answer the posted supplemental questions: https://chapman.peopleadmin.com/postings/24965.

Preference will be given to graduate students and those with a scholarly interest in music.

Please contact Annie Tang (awtang@chapman.edu), the program manager, for questions about the research topics or for guidance with the application process.

Research Topic

Henri Temianka (1906 – 1992) was a gifted violinist, conductor, author, and music educator. In 1946, he founded the Paganini Quartet, an American virtuoso string quartet, which won acclaim for its 1947 recording of Beethoven’s String Quartets No. 7 – 9, Opus 59, “Rasumovsky.” Starting in the 1950s, Temianka became a prolific correspondent with the Los Angeles Times music critics, often verbally sparring with them regarding his unorthodox performances in which he lectured from the classical stage. “We artists should be treated with the dignity we deserve for our dedication,” the performer once said to a surge of cheers from an audience in response to a negative review of his concert. Throughout the program, through primary and secondary research, the Archival Scholar will investigate Temianka’s frequent debates with the press in the context of music criticism and music education in the Southern California landscape from the 1960s onward.

To read about our fellow from last year, click here.

*Special thanks are given to the Freshman Fellows program at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library at Johns Hopkins University for the inspiration and development of the Temianka Archival Scholars Program.