»BM in Performance - Instrumental

Daniel Alfred Wachs leads the Chamber Orchestra

The Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance is an intensive performance degree which focuses on classical training for solo, chamber, and orchestral experience.

Instrumental students at the William D. Hall and Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Conservatory of Music have ample performance opportunities in state-of-the-art facilities.  The Hall-Musco Conservatory has three large ensembles (Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and Wind Symphony) and several small ensembles (New Music Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, University Jazz Ensembles, and a student-led Pep Band).

There is no system of seniority in the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music. Students are selected and seated based on their talent and level of commitment, which means that a freshman has as much opportunity as a senior to participate in any given ensemble.  In addition, chamber music is not only encouraged but is a required part of a major’s curriculum.

Chapman Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music faculty hold prominent positions in major ensembles in Southern California, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera and Chamber Orchestra, to name a few. Our faculty has earned degrees at the Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, UCLA, The Cleveland Institute of Music, USC, and together bring a wealth of knowledge and experience unparalleled in Southern California. With a student body of 225 majors and a faculty ratio of 1:14, Chapman’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music provides students with personalized education and direct contact with faculty without substitutions and teaching assistants.

Getting Started

To begin your application process, please visit the Admissions web page to complete the Common Application for Chapman University.  Please note in your application that you intend to major in Instrumental Performance.

All students auditioning for acceptance into the Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance or the Bachelor of Music in Music Education–Instrumental Emphasis should visit the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music website for a detailed listing of audition requirements by instrument. Prospective students should Schedule an Audition Appointment during the posted audition dates.  Additionally, please indicate whether or not you will require an accompanist at your audition.

The Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music offers a complimentary, half-hour lesson for prospective students with one of our applied instructors.  Please contact Daniel Alfred Wachs at 714-997-6914 to arrange for a lesson.

We welcome your interest in our program and look forward to helping you live your dream.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

PLO1: Musicianship
The student will demonstrate fluent musicianship skills, including an understanding of music theory, proficiency with aural skills and sight reading, knowledge of different musical styles and historical eras, a demonstration of basic piano skills, the ability to rehearse and perform collaboratively and contribute to an ensemble, proficiency with basic music technology, and an understanding and demonstration of basic improvisation techniques.

PLO2: Performance
The student will acquire performance skills as a soloist on his or her main instrument, including knowledge in technique, historically appropriate performance styles and repertoire, and sight reading.

PLO3: Leadership
The student will observe and experience leadership roles and professional opportunities, in order to prepare for a career as a performer.

PLO4: Pedagogy
The student will employ pedagogical techniques and skills relevant to his or her instrument family.

  • Orchestras
  • Wind Symphony
  • Chamber Music
  • New Music
  • Jazz
  • Resident & Guest Ensembles

  • The Chapman Chamber Orchestra (CCO) has received wide recognition for its outstanding performances and is considered to be among the finest university ensembles on the West Coast. In the summer of 2012, CCO was named a finalist in the American Prize in Orchestral Performance. In the fall of 2009, a live recording of Milhaud’s La Creation du Monde was selected by the world famous Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. to accompany its exhibit, “Man Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens.” Wachs and the Chapman Chamber Orchestra have also recently completed a survey of Mahler song cycles with baritone Vladimir Chernov and have initiated a partnership with the LA Opera Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program.

    The Chapman University Symphony Orchestra received national recognition when presented the coveted ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) award at the American Symphony Orchestra League Annual Conference for performances of music by American composers.

    In frequent demand, the orchestras have performed at the Music Educators National, Divisional, State, and Southern Section Conferences. The Chamber Orchestra has been the featured performing ensemble for the CMEA (California Music Educators Association) Southern Section Conference. In February of 2008, the Chapman Chamber Orchestra joined forces with Orange County’s Pacific Symphony as part of the Eighth American Composers Festival. (See review below.) The Chamber Orchestra has toured extensively on the West Coast of the United States and has performed on international tours in Europe, China, Hong Kong, and Japan.

  • The Chapman University Wind Symphony has earned a reputation for its breadth of musicality and consistently high level of performance. The ensemble is frequently featured at notable festivals and conferences, including CMEA: The California Association for Music Education and the Invitational Band Festival at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Recently the Chapman University Wind Symphony was honored on the national level with a prestigious invitation to perform as one of only four university wind ensembles at the 2008 Biennial Conference of MENC: the National Association for Music Education. The Wind Symphony presents both national and international tours, performing in such prestigious concert halls as the world-renowned Sydney Opera House. Goals of the Wind Symphony include the development of musical expression with individual and ensemble skills through the identification, rehearsal, and performance of the finest wind literature.
  • Chapman students have the opportunity to participate in chamber music ensembles coached by members of the instrumental faculty. These ensembles perform the finest string, woodwind, brass, percussion, and guitar literature, and they are featured throughout the semester in public concerts.
  • The New Music Ensemble presents works by current composition majors as well as those by many of the major composers of the last fifty years. Instrumental and vocal faculty, along with distinguished guest artists, often participate in the ensemble, thus offering the students a chance to perform with their teachers and mentors as well as their peers. The ensemble regularly collaborates with other groups on campus in presenting the New Music at Chapman concert series.
  • The Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music proudly offers courses in Jazz Studies to enrich the student and to enhance their learning experience within the traditional music conservatory curriculum. The University Jazz Ensembles perform music encompassing all periods of the jazz idiom. This wide range of literature ensures that students will be well versed in the stylistic interpretation of jazz, as well as develop a solid foundation in improvisation.

  • The Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music invites guest artists and ensembles on a regular basis to work with students and ensembles in their respective fields of expertise.  Recent Ensembles-in-Residence include California’s E.A.R. Unit, a chamber ensemble dedicated to the creation, performance, and the Penderecki String Quartet.  Additionally, the Hall-Musco Conservatory has hosted Ariana Ghez, Principal Oboe of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as its Instrumental Artist-in-Residence and acclaimed operatic sopranos, Milena Kitic and Carol Neblett as Vocal Artists-in-Residence.

    The Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music has a long and proud tradition of hosting world-renowned artists for master classes. Recent guest artists include Linda Watson, Anne Akiko Meyers, William Burden, Sergei Babayan, Vladimir Chernov and others.

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