Faculty News

2008

Backhausdance, led by Artistic Director Jennifer Backhaus (’94), adjunct professor of dance, were featured in the 49th Annual LA County Arts Commission Holiday Celebration on December 24 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.  Their newly commissioned “Snow Day” was one of several pieces interpreted by local dance companies to the music of the Nutcracker Suite.  The program was also broadcast live through KCET.

Mindy Ball, adjunct professor of harp in the Conservatory of Music and Principal Harpist of the Pacific Symphony, was a featured soloist at Disney Hall on December 17 in a concert titled Holiday Organ Spectacular.

Daniel Alfred Wachs, director of instrumental studies in the Conservatory of Music, performed a series of recitals with Jeremy Kurtz, Principal Bass of the San Diego Sympony.  The recitals were held throughout Southern California and culminated at the 2008 International Bass Convention, held at the National Conservatory of Paris.  Professor Wachs also recently traveled to Florida to both play and conduct Beethoven's First Piano Concerto for Sinfonia Gulf Coast's Classical Connections concert.

Dr. Robert Frelly, associate professor of music, is the recipient of a Subito grant from the American Composers Forum.  Dr. Frelly was selected by an independent panel for the development of a composer-in-residence program with his Southern California Youth Orchestra.  A distinguishing feature of the project is that a student composer from the Conservatory of Music will be invited to compose a work for full orchestra to be premiered by the SCYP.  Additionally, a Chapman film major will document the project, including interactions between composer and musicians at rehearsals, to illustrate the composition process.

Dr. Sean Heim, assistant professor of music, has been selected by the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers as an ASCAP Plus award recipient.  Sean was chosen by an independent panel in recognition of the value of his original catalogue of compositions and
recent performances.  This marks Dr. Heim's tenth consecutive year of recognition by the ASCAP awards committee.

Dr. Grace Fong, assistant professor of music and director of keyboard studies, performed to great critical acclaim at the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Deer Zink Events Pavilion as part of the American Pianists Association's 2009 Classical Fellowship Awards.  Reviewer Whitney Smith of indy.com, the online magazine of the Indianapolis Star, wrote that Dr. Fong exhibited “stunning control, in various musical styles”, and Indianapolis’ online alternative magazine, nuvo.net, wrote that she “mesmerized the crowd”, and “her dynamic shaping and phrasing made [the works of] all three composers as musically expressive as one could imagine”.

Liz Maxwell, assistant professor of dance and somatics, presented a solo concert of modern dance at Scripps College in Claremont.  The three dances served as a travelogue of style shifts of the last 50 years.  This informal lecture/demonstration highlighted somatic-based research in the dance “Return” with choreography by Professor Maxwell and direction by New York-based choreographer Bill Young.  Senior dance majors Chelsea Smith and Katie Rychel facilitated discussion throughout the evening.

Donald Guy, assistant professor of theatre, designed the lighting for the west coast premiere of The Holy Mother of Hadley, New York by Barbara Wiechmann. The production is directed by Jerry Kernion and will be playing at the Theatre of Note in Los Angeles through December 14th.

Dr. Sean Heim, assistant professor of music and director of the music theory/composition program, recently participated in the Thailand International Composers Festival in Bangsaen, Thailand. Sean presented several lectures on his music during the festival and his work Neak Ta, an extensive duo for viola and percussion inspired by the strength and beliefs of the Cambodian people in the face of the Khmer Rouge atrocities, was premiered by Susan Ung and Lynn Vartan. Sean also visited Siem Reap, Cambodia where he continued his research into Khmer music, dance and culture.

Lawrence Rosenberg, adjunct professor of dance and founder and artistic director of the Anaheim Ballet, received the Arts Orange County 2008 Outstanding Arts Organization award. The award was presented Sept. 24 at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach at the Ninth Annual Orange County Arts Awards, celebrating the outstanding achievements of the county's creative community for 2007-2008. Anaheim Ballet was recognized for its continued presentation of excellent arts programming, extensive community service throughout Anaheim and Southern California at large, and the visionary creation of the world’s first weekly ballet video podcast, reaching more than seven million viewers globally. Rosenberg stated, “We’re honored by this award, and it only serves to spur us on to continue our service to the community.”

Dr. Nicholas Terry, assistant professor of percussion in the Conservatory of Music, recently returned from performing in Switzerland's Lucerne Festival, one of Europe's most celebrated classical and modern music festivals.  Returning for his fifth summer, Professor Terry has performed over the years with many of the most respected composers, conductors, and instrumentalists in contemporary music.  In 2005, Professor Terry co-founded Ensemble XII, a 12-member all-percussion ensemble of international virtuosos that was recently critically praised by multiple Swiss and German newspapers.  It was hailed by some of the biggest names in classical music as the group that "represents the next generation in the evolution of modern percussion". 

Six major compositions by Jeffrey Holmes, assistant professor of music and director of music theory/composition and the New Music Ensemble, will be presented over the coming weeks at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.  USC faculty member Brian Head will perform 5 Micro-Tonal Studies and “May the Bridges I Burn Light My Way…” on October 5, the USC Contemporary Music Ensemble will perform Wave of Darkness and other Holmes works on October 7, and graduate student Michael Kudirka will perform 4 Preludes, 5 Micro-Tonal Studies, and Nocturnes on guitar October 9th.  All concerts will take place in the Alfred Newman Recital Hall at USC.  In addition, Professor Holmes will be featured in a live interview on KPFK 90.7 FM on September 25 and will give a guest lecture to the Composition Forum on October 3. 

Alicia Okouchi-Guy, assistant professor of dance, has been commissioned by the University of Alabama to choreograph an original contemporary jazz piece. Her new work will be set on 12 company dancers and will premiere in the Alabama Repertoire Dance Theatre Concert in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Professor Okouchi-Guy has also recently finished teaching a 2-week summer intensive for the Inland Empire. She taught a series of master classes including modern and jazz technique and choreographed for the In Studio faculty and student performance.

Donald Guy, assistant professor of theatre, will be giving a series of lectures for the United States Institute of Theatre Technology on color theory and the use of recent lighting advancements including light emitting diodes and electroluminescence. During the conference he will also serve on the keynote panel to discuss living and working as a professional designer in New York and Los Angeles.

Backhausdance, led by Artistic Director Jennifer Backhaus (’94), adjunct professor of dance, will be presenting a world premiere work, The Woeful Maladies of Ennui Manor, featuring dancers gamboling in nature while performing on a grass covered stage with live music by the Robin Cox Ensemble, at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood on September 19, 2008.  Two award-winning repertory works will also be performed.  Tickets are available at www.fordamphitheatre.org.

Shakespeare Orange County opened its production of The Tempest, directed by Thomas Bradac, associate professor of theatre, in Garden Grove on August 7.  The production features Michael Nehring, professor of theatre, as Prospero.  The Orange County Register writes, “Prospero's last act – imploring the audience to ‘release me from my bands/with the help of your good hands’ – is beautifully rendered. If you've never seen this moment, Bradac has conjured a wonderfully fitting way to stage it.”  The Los Angeles Times also praises Professor Nehring:  "a marvelously confident portrayal -- a beautifully nuanced alchemy of heavy wisdom and comic lightness".  The Tempest also features numerous Chapman students and alumni and runs through August 23.  Please see www.shakespeareoc.org for more information.

Shakespeare Orange County’s production of Henry V has been chosen as a Critic’s Pick in Backstage West.  The industry paper writes that the production, produced by Thomas Bradac, associate professor of theatre, “pulsates with excitement and tension”.  Backstage West also trumpets the comic relief given by Michael Nehring, professor of theatre, who plays the role of Captain Fluellen, and the “grand voice and gesture” of John Jones, adjunct professor of theatre, as the Chorus.  Henry V runs through July 26 and also features Chapman staff members, alumni and current students.  Professor Bradac’s next SOC project, The Tempest, opens August 7.

Daniel Alfred Wachs, director of instrumental studies, performed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art as part of its SundaysLive series.  The performance was later broadcast on 88.5 KCSN. 

Alicia Okouchi-Guy, assistant professor of dance, has been commissioned to choreograph a new contemporary ballet for the dance repertoire of California’s Riverside Ballet. She has also been hired to teach the training intensive this summer for the ChivaGirls, the professional Major League Soccer dance team at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.

Returning for its third annual summer concert, Orange County's critically acclaimed Backhausdance is pleased to announce "Backhausdance Deconstructed", an evening of company repertory and new work hosted by Artistic Director Jennifer Backhaus (’94), adjunct professor of dance, at the Waltmar Theatre.  This informal concert will include new works choreographed by Backhausdance company dancers, many of whom are Chapman alumni, and an in-depth breakdown and performance of Backhausdance's newest work, Arrive.  Hosted by Jennifer Backhaus, “Backhausdance Deconstructed” offers the audience a backstage view of the process and meaning behind repertory. 

The Chapman Conservatory Guitar Ensemble, under the direction of Jeff Cogan, associate professor of music, will be in New Mexico July 9-14.  They will perform a concert in Corrales and will attend a festival in Santa Fe.  Ensemble members include Joseph Zamudio, Henry Allen, Daniel De Arakal, and Patrick Shiroishi.  The ensemble is performing works by George Gershwin, Gabriel Faure, Georges Bizet, Johann Sebastian Bach, Isaais Savio, Joaquin Rodrigo, John Duarte, Roland Dyens, and Manuel Ponce.

Robin Kish, instructor of dance, will be attending the 2008 International Association for Dance Medicine and Science Conference in Cleveland, where she will be presenting her study “Bridging the Gap Between Dance Science Research and the Reality of Teaching in a Private Studio” and teaching a movement session, “Dancers and Pinky Balls:  The Perfect Combination”.

Donald Guy, assistant professor of theatre, designed the lighting for Saint Louis Ballet’s production of The Sleeping Beauty with choreography by Artistic Director Gen Horiuchi. He also recently received rave reviews for his lighting of the world premiere musical Return, directed by five-time Tony nominee Donald McKayle, at the Edgemar Theatre in Los Angeles.

Liz Maxwell, assistant professor of dance, presented a workshop titled “Teaching Modern Dance Repertory through the Somatic Lens” at SUNY Brockport for the Invention-In Conference on Dance, Somatics & Movement Analysis.  She also premiered a somatically-based performance piece using song, spoken word and dance created with New York artists Bill Young and Mio Morales.

Jeff Cogan, assistant professor of music, performed a concert and lecture on the master French guitar builder and luthier Daniel Friederich for the Eastfield College Guitar Festival in Dallas, TX.  Previously, Professor Cogan was in Dallas to adjudicate a competition hosted at the University of Texas at Dallas. 

Liz Maxwell, assistant professor of dance, reconstructed the choreography of Laura Dean's work "Sky Light" for Pomona College.  Professor Maxwell was also recently accepted into the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association, which requires 150 hours of hands-on work and entitles her to be a Registered Somatic Movement Educator.

Bass-baritone Peter Atherton, assistant professor of music, has been invited to perform the role of Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte for Operafestival di Roma this summer.  This will be Dr. Atherton’s seventh consecutive season with the festival.  Three Chapman Conservatory of Music students, Ashley Faatoalia, Troy Guthrie and Charles Vickery, have also been invited to participate in the program this summer.  In addition, Dr. Atherton will serve as a member of the Opera Academy voice faculty.

Assistant professor Daniel Alfred Wachs, Director of Instrumental Studies in the Conservatory of Music, led a lecture-demonstration on Mozart’s Piano Concertos with the Chapman String Quartet at the March 6 Town & Gown Lunch at the Forum Series. More recently, Maestro Wachs was invited to lead the Pacific Symphony in a rehearsal of Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony. 

Alicia Okouchi-Guy, assistant professor of dance, has been commissioned to choreograph an original contemporary modern dance for Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.  She was also selected to adjudicate the Miss Dance USA competition and solo pageant which included dancers from across the nation at the Irvine Hilton Hotel and the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California.

“The Club”, a work choreographed by Dale Merrill, chair of the Department of Dance and associate dean of the College of Performing Arts, to the music of Johnny Otis and his Orchestra, will be re-created by the Washington Contemporary Ballet in Tacoma, WA in May.

Michael Nehring, professor of theatre, will be re-creating the role of Earl Butz, Nixon’s Secretary of Agriculture, in Matthew McCray's (’98) play Fencerow to Fencerow for the Center Theatre Group.  The play was cast through the Taper Casting Office and will be showcased in a performance for the executives of the Center Theatre Group, including Artistic Director Michael Ritchie, on May 3.  Professor Nehring will also be performing in a new work as part of the ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop.  The workshop is held in New York and Los Angeles as a showcase for young composers and is directed by Stephen Schwartz, composer of Wicked, Pippin, and Godspell.  He will be playing the role of Quigly, a craggy drive-in movie owner.  The musical will be performed, reader's theatre style, for Mr. Schwartz and Disney executives as well as a sold-out audience. 

Dr. Vera Ivanova, assistant professor of music, was awarded the André Chevillion-Yvonne Bonnaud Composition Prize under the aegis of the Fondation de France at the 8th International Piano Competition at Orléans (France) for her piano composition, "Aftertouch," performed at the competition by Daniela Mineva (Bulgaria/USA).  The competition is held under the high patronage of the French Ministry of Culture and is an official member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions.

Donald Guy, assistant professor of theatre, has been contracted by GilmoreGroup Architects in New York to design the lighting, audio, and video for COMEX’s flagship store in Las Vegas. COMEX specializes in working with architects and interior designers to provide clients with an interactive environment to view finishes and paint samples.

Peter Atherton, director of Opera Chapman and assistant professor of music, presented a series of master classes, lessons and improvisational workshops for the Voice and Opera Department at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.

Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra (OCYSO) announces the appointment of Daniel Alfred Wachs, assistant professor of music, as Music Director & Conductor.  Professor Wachs will be succeeding Professor Emeritus John Koshak. Celebrating its 38th season, Orange County’s official youth orchestra has been in residence at Chapman for over 30 years.  Over three-quarters of a million fifth graders have heard and watched three thousand OCYSO musicians perform in the Orchestra’s Chapman Memorial Auditorium series and at the Segerstrom Concert Hall.

Robert Becker, newly appointed director of strings in the Conservatory of Music, recently performed Schubert’s Octet as part of the Distinguished Guest Artist Series at Azusa Pacific University.   In other news, the American String Teachers Association presented Professor Becker as soloist, master teacher and pedagogy instructor for the 2008 ASTA Viola Fest in Las Vegas.  As an invited guest commentator for the Mellon Foundation, he will be speaking at events on April 1 about the future of music education in our community, schools, and orchestras. Continuing his role as Principal Viola for the Pacific Symphony and Opera Pacific, he can be seen often at the new Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.  He is also the founder of the Viola Workout in Colorado for teacher training of viola and chamber music, an event that will take place this year from June 15-29.

Alicia Okouchi-Guy, assistant professor of dance, has been commissioned by the Center of Creative Arts in St. Louis, Missouri to choreograph a new contemporary ballet for its resident ballet company, Ballet Eclectica.  Her new ballet will premiere in the Founders’ Theatre in a mixed bill featuring choreographic works by Trinette Singleton of the Joffrey Ballet, Kate Skarpetowska, a former member of Parsons Dance Company and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre’s Antonio Douthit and Kirvin Boyd.

Donald Guy, assistant professor of theatre, is the lighting designer for the Los Angeles premiere of the musical The Immigrant at the Colony Theatre.  A Young European Jew, fleeing the pogroms of Czarist Russia in 1909, gets off the boat at Galveston and pushes his banana cart into the tiny Baptist town of Hamilton, Texas.  He is the author’s grandfather, and what follows is his story, a uniquely American saga of struggle, faith, hope, and ultimate triumph over adversity.

Backhausdance, the acclaimed dance company led by artistic director Jennifer Backhaus (’94), adjunct professor of dance, was featured in the Celebrate Dance 2008 festival at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.  The festival included Los Angeles premieres by eight different companies. 

Alicia Okouchi-Guy, Assistant Professor of Dance, was hired as an adjudicator and master class teacher for the national dance organization RAW.  Rough Artistic Works is a dance convention that was held in Boise, Idaho at the Nampa Civic Center.  She was also selected as an adjudicator for the USA Collegiate Nationals Dance Competition held at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Assistant Professor Daniel Alfred Wachs, Director of Instrumental Studies at the Conservatory of Music, has been invited to conduct the 2008 Capistrano Valley High School Honor Orchestra, featuring over 70 of Southern California’s most talented string players. The program will include Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.

Jennifer Backhaus (’94), adjunct professor of dance, is the Program Director of West Coast Dance Academy in Mission Viejo, home of her company, Backhausdance.  Celebrating its fifth anniversary, Orange County's critically acclaimed Backhausdance is pleased to announce Backhausdance at the Barclay March 21-22 at 8:00pm, an evening of company repertory at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.  Performing three new works, and audience favorite "Sitting on January", Backhausdance brings to the stage the athleticism and grace that has propelled Orange County's premiere dance company into the forefront of modern dance since its inception in 2003. Tickets are $20-$30. Read more about Backhausdance at www.backhausdance.org.

Dr. Sean Heim, assistant professor of music, has recently been awarded a Subito Grant by the American Composers Forum - Los Angeles.  Professor Heim was chosen by an independent panel and was awarded the grant in support of his current recording project featuring several of his most recent compositions.  He will be traveling and working with ensembles and performing artists from three continents to complete work on the CD which will be released on Capstone Records next year.

Robin Kish, instructor of dance, was recently appointed as a board member and committee chairman of the Performing Arts Medicine Association, where she works with dancers, musicians, educators and members of the medical field.  Her cooperative work with Charles Maa (‘07) titled “Current Breakdancing Injury Trends” was published in the journal Medical Problems of Performing Artists v22 n4 in December 2007.  She is also at work on a research project titled "Dance Observation and Music as Interventions with Elderly Residents", a collaborative work with psychologist Dr. Kara Cross.  This project will be presented at the California Psychological Association Convention in April 2008.  In addition to work in the dance field, Professor Kish was recently asked to participate in an advisory board for a pharmaceutical company that develops rescue medication for patients with epilepsy.

Liz Maxwell, assistant professor of dance, will be attending the tenth annual National Dance Education Organization conference, titled “Focus on Dance Education: The Dance of Personal and Public Change”, in Towson, MD in June.  She will be leading a workshop called “Dancing Our Dreams:  Uncovering and Exploring Emotional Landscapes”, about the relation of movement practice to personal change. 

Donald Guy, assistant professor of theatre, has been asked to design the lighting for Saint Louis Ballet’s Master Works Series in March. The evening of dance will include Serenade by choreographer George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust, Circle of Fifths by choreographer Christopher d' Amboise, and a world premiere new work by choreographer and Artistic Director Gen Horiuchi.

John Benitz, assistant professor of theatre, presented "Acting for the Screen:  A Workshop" at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival at Cal State Los Angeles.  This national theater conference involves more than 600 institutions and works to improve the quality of U.S. college theater.

Dr. Grace Fong, director of keyboard studies in the Conservatory of Music, has just been named a finalist for the prestigious Classical Fellowship Awards of the American Pianists Association. The Classical Fellowship Awards are held every three years in Indianapolis, Indiana, and participation in the national competition is by nomination only. This seven-month long competition is comprised of the Premiere Series and Discovery Week, in which each of the five finalists play solo recitals, solo with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra as well as the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, perform with the Pacifica Quartet, and perform a Lieder recital with professional singers. In addition, the finalists will participate in the Concerto Curriculum residency with a local high school. The recipient of the award will receive a cash prize, representation on a CD, promotional materials, and the opportunity to play concerts and recitals both nationally and internationally through APA's PianoFest program.  Dr. Fong will head to Indiana in the 2009 season for this concert series.

Roger Lebow, adjunct professor of cello in the Conservatory of Music, performed with fellow cellists Trevor Handy, Armen Ksajikian, and Dane Little in a concert titled From Chaconne to Tritonis: Sonatas and Transcriptions by Great Keyboard Masters at the Zipper Concert Hall at the Colburn School of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles. 

Dr. Grace Fong, director of keyboard studies in the Conservatory of Music, recently performed with the principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony at the Seattle Town Hall Chamber Series, as well as in Cleveland with pianist Sergei Babayan, premiering Mikhail Pletnev's transcription of Prokofiev's Cinderella Suite to acclaim. Next, Dr. Fong will tour with her piano trio, the Selvaggi Trio, and this summer she will be performing at the Sitka Summer Music Festival in Alaska as well as serving on the faculty of the Montecito Summer Festival. Highlights of the 08-09 season for Dr. Fong will include a debut with the Polish Chamber Orchestra in Dortmund, Germany, and a performance at the Liszt Academy in Budapest.

This January, David Washburn, adjunct trumpet faculty member in the Conservatory of Music, performed Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #2 with the Saint Louis Symphony, which he will also be performing later this year with the California Philharmonic and at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.  In March, Mr. Washburn will perform the Albinoni and Torelli Concertos with the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.  In addition, you can hear him as the principal trumpet on the soundtrack to the upcoming film The Spiderwick Chronicles.

During the winter break, Conservatory of Music adjunct percussion faculty member Nick Terry first performed with Los Angeles' premier contemporary music ensemble, XTET, as part of the famed Monday Evening Concert series at Zipper Hall, and later with Ensemble Green at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music.  In addition, he was invited to perform as part of the Lucerne Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland for the fifth consecutive year.  This four-week residency features numerous concerts of cutting-edge European contemporary music.

Daniel Alfred Wachs, assistant professor and director of instrumental studies at the Conservatory of Music, performed a recital with renowned tenor William Burden in Florida before making his conducting debut in the Orange County Performing Artscenter's Segerstrom Concert Hall in his capacity as music director designate of Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra.  Professor Wachs then returned to Florida as guest piano soloist with the Boca Raton Symphony.  He also took the Chapman Chamber Orchestra on a tour of Southern California before leaving for a two-week residency with the National Orchestra of France in Paris.  Next he will be leading the Chapman Chamber Orchestra and members of the Pacific Symphony in Portraits of the American Frontier in Memorial Hall.

Donald Guy, assistant professor of theatre, has been asked to serve as the theatre consultant for the renovation of the historic Founder’s Theatre at the Center of Contemporary Art in St. Louis, Missouri. The building was originally the B'Nai Amoona Synogogue, designed in 1950 by the internationally recognized architect Eric Mendelsohn, and is currently recognized in the National Register of Historic Places. Don has been asked to design the architectural lighting, theatrical lighting, dimming system, control booth, rigging system, and audio/video layout for the theatre.

Keith Bangs, adjunct professor of theatre, has just finished a stint as technical coordinator for the upcoming production of Oklahoma at the Linkleter Theater in North San Diego County. Currently, he is working on a project for the San Francisco Ballet titled DANCE-IT (Dance & Information Technology.) DANCE-IT is a networked participatory media exhibit using embodied interaction to engage and educate the community about movement and dance. Moving beyond the "fourth wall", the observer becomes the participant and the exhibit's dance space is their stage.  Participants interact with and influence the behaviors of the digital media content presented in the exhibit. Their movement choices become a permanent part of the exhibition. Mr. Bangs will be installing the exhibit in San Francisco's City Hall, where it will be on display for six weeks before it travels south for an appearance in the lobby of the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Adjunct professor of dance Jennifer Backhaus (’94) has been named Academy Director of the West Coast Dance Academy in Mission Viejo.  Her company, Backhausdance, is now the company in residence at WCDA.  Backhausdance members will be teaching classes and rehearsing in the new space, increasing the visibility of concert dance and offering high quality training in contemporary and classical dance forms in south Orange County.