Ensemble Descriptions and Audition Information*
*Audition information is available upon request
Chapman Big Band
Besides performing standard repertoire in all genres of jazz and big band, Chapman University Big Band students are very fortunate to perform original works from the library of jazz drum legend Louie Bellson.
Chamber Ensembles
There are instrumental chamber music groups of all types in the conservatory. Concerts feature piano, string and woodwind quintets, quartests, trios and brass ensembles. Here are just a few examples:
- Trumpet Ensemble | Watch Video
- ChapCelli Ensemble | Watch Video
- The Temianka Quartet at Chapman | Watch Video
The Chapman Orchestra
The Chapman Orchestra (TCO) is one of the top university symphony orchestras on the West Coast. Performing six concerts annually, TCO also stands out as one of the few academic orchestras to collaborate with Disney for live on-screen accompanied concerts. Past shows include beloved favorites like The Little Mermaid and Pixar's Coco. TCO’s performances take place at the Musco Center for the Arts, a state-of-the-art concert hall with acoustics perfected by the world-renowned Yasuhisa Toyota of Nagata Acoustics known for his work on the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Commercial Music Ensemble
The Commercial Music Ensemble performs music composed, recorded, mixed, filmed, edited, and directed by the students. The entire production process is handled by the students under the mentorship of award-winning faculty. This unique opportunity provides students with a practical, hands-on experience in the music industry.
Early Music Ensemble
Music compositions of the 18th century and earlier are featured in the Early Music Ensemble programs. Adding to the authenticity of the performance, students use period instruments, including the sackbut, horn, lute, Baroque guitar, transverso, dulcian, recorder, violone, and harpsichord, to name just a few.
Chapman Guitar Ensemble
Classical guitar students have opportunities to perform as soloists and in ensembles for concerts each semester, classes at Chapman and on tour.
Jazz Combo
Jazz Combo students enjoy hands-on training in small-group jazz, honing improvisation skills, collaborating in group arrangements and composing and arranging original works for the ensemble.
Mariachi Panteras
Orange County’s first collegiate Mariachi ensemble, Mariachi Panteras 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 as the violin, guitar, trumpet, harp, vihuela Mexicana, Guitarrón, and voice.
Chapman New Music Ensemble
This ensemble presents works by current Chapman composition majors as well as those by many of the major composers of the last 50 years. Music faculty and distinguished guest artists often participate in the ensemble, offering students a chance to perform with their teachers and mentors as well as their peers.
Opera Chapman
This ensemble presents semi-staged scenes in the fall and a full-scale opera each spring. Opera Chapman alumni are active on stages around the world, including The Metropolitan Opera, NY, Staatsoper Berlin, Weiner Staatsoper, The Royal Danish Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Covent Garden in London, Santa Fe Opera, NM, and L.A. Opera, CA.
Chapman Percussion Ensemble
Led by GRAMMY® winner Nick Terry, CPE performs music reflecting the diversity inherent in the world of contemporary percussion. Their repertoire draws both from the standard literature and many of the most exciting contemporary pieces from Europe and Southern California.
Saxophone Ensemble
The Saxophone Ensemble performs music written or arranged for saxophones of all types, ranging from classical to jazz and blues to contemporary music.
The Temianka Quartet at Chapman
This ensemble is made up of select string students based on criteria that include talent, academic scholarship, and demonstrated leadership.
The ensemble is supported by the conservatory’s Henri Temianka Endowed Scholarship for String Studies, which was established in 2013, along with the Temianka Endowed Professorship, thanks to a generous gift of $2.25m from Daniel Temianka and Zeinab Dabbah in memory of the gifted and indefatigable artist and ambassador of classical music.
Quartet members uphold the ensemble’s mission to serve as ambassadors of excellence for the conservatory, the college, and the university through on- and off-campus performances, outreach visits and activities that promote string education in local schools, supporting recruitment of new students for Chapman and the conservatory, and learning how to work as a pre-professional chamber music group.
University Choir
This select group of singers represents all departments of the university. The choir has concertized and recorded extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. The choir is also featured in Chapman's Holiday Wassail Concert and the conservatory's spring Sholund Scholarship Concert.
University Singers
This select undergraduate chamber ensemble performs choral repertoire ranging from the Renaissance era to modern-day compositions. University Singers has a history of domestic and international tours, and is featured in Chapman's Holiday Wassail Concert and the conservatory's spring Sholund Scholarship Concert.
University Treble Choir
This ensemble performs concerts each semester as well as the university's Holiday Wassail Concert. They perform advanced literature for treble voices, from the Renaissance to contemporary compositions, featuring music from around the world in a variety of languages and styles.
Vocal Jazz Ensemble
This ensemble explores in depth the various styles of jazz, including swing, ballads, bossa nova, and others; and it is the only vocal group of its kind on campus!
University Wind Symphony
This elite concert ensemble of brass, woodwind, double bass and percussion musicians performs standard masterworks of the repertoire, including composers Paul Hindemith, Johann Sebastian Bach, Samuel Barber, Boris Kozhevnikov, Béla Bartók, and Percy Grainger, to name a few.