About

Chase Chandler (b. 1991) is a composer, performer, and multimedia artist with deep roots in contemporary classical music, improvisatory jazz, and collaborative electro-acoustic music. Having spent his formative years near the Southern California coast, his music seeks to capture waves of honest, natural expressions through melodically-driven harmonies, complex layering, and organic development.

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In recent years, Chandler’s music has been performed internationally by the PHACE Ensemble, UNICAMP Percussion Ensemble, Eclipse Quartet, CSUF Percussion Ensemble, Saddleback Lab Band, Aperture Duo, Divan Consort, Duo Zonda, Bent Frequency, and Irvine Arditti from the Arditti Quartet. His music has also been featured in the Vienna Summer Music Festival, Charlotte New Music Festival, Impulse New Music Festival, 1:2:1 Music Intensives with Grammy-award winning cellist, Nick Photinos, a virtual reality-based premiere for Art Gate International, and an audiovisual installation commissioned and in collaboration with the artist Darcy Gerbarg for BRCvr 2021. His first contemporary string quartet album, Between the Far Spaces, was recently recorded by Esessions Strings and published in May 2021 under Luminarcanum Records.

Chandler led the PSYWE as principal trumpet in 2008 and 2009, won first place in POSA’s 8th Annual Vocal Competition in 2014, was awarded the Area Award for Graduate Composition at CSUF in 2017, and gained contemporary conducting experience through the Newgate Chamber Orchestra from 2016 to 2018.

After studying with Dr. Ken Walicki during his masters at Cal State University, Fullerton, Chandler joined the Music Honor Society, Pi Kappa Lambda, Beta Omega chapter and has since taught at CSUF and Saddleback Community College, studied privately with Dr. Justin Dello Joio from The Juilliard School, and has had lessons with Dr. Brandon Rolle, Dr. Lansing McLonskey, and Dr. Marcos Balter. Currently, Chandler works for Atlas Ocean Voyages playing piano and performing for an international audience for their cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic.

EXTENDED EDUCATION FROM MUSIC PROGRAMS

Walden Creative Musician’s Retreat, 2022. Faculty: Lei Liang, Renée Favand-See, Tom Colohan, Sam Pluta, Osnat Netzer, Alex Christie, Loretta Notareschi.

Impulse New Music Festival, 2021. Faculty: Brandon J. Rolle, Mari Kimura, Megan Ihnen, Andrew Tholl, Aron Kallay, Brightwork Ensemble.

Charlotte New Music Festival, 2021. Faculty: Lansing McLoskey, Pamela Z, Gabriela Ortiz, Phil Aaberg, Cecilia Arditto, Roberto Andreoni, Christopher Dobrian, Bent Frequency.

SPLICE, 2021. Faculty: Carla Scaletti, Popebama, Sam Wells, Christopher Biggs, Adam Vidiksis, Dana Jessen.

1:2:1 Music Intensive, Jan. & March 2021. Faculty: Marcos Balter, Nina C. Young, Haruka Fujii, Molly Barth, Dana Jessen, Doug Perkins.

Vienna Summer Music Festival, 2019.  Faculty: Irvine Arditti, Justin Dello Joio, Oliver Weber, Michael Polo, Ana Szilagyi, Dirk D’Ase, Simon Vosecek, Pierluigi Billone, Clemens Gadenstätter, Ulrich Drechsler, PHACE Ensemble.

AVID for Higher Education Certification, taught by the AVID Campus Leadership Team at Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, California, Spring 2019. Faculty: Janelle Brunner, Sara Gonzalez, Tina Jenkins.

INSTITUTIONAL EDUCATION

M.M. in Theory & Composition, California State University, Fullerton, May 2017

Mentors: Dr. Ken Walicki, Dr. Pamela Madsen, Dr. John Koegel

B.A. in Vocal Performance/Music Education, Concordia University, Irvine, May 2014

Mentors: Diane Elias, Dr. Jeff Held, Dr. Michael Busch

A.A. in Liberal Arts, Saddleback Community College, emphasis in Music, September 2012

Mentors: Dr. Norm Weston, Dr. Scott Farthing, Dr. Joey Sellers

ACADEMIC TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Saddleback Community College, Adjunct Professor of Music Theory, 2019-2020

Courses taught: Musicianship/Aural Skills I & III

California State University, Fullerton, Adjunct Professor of Music Theory, 2017

Courses taught: Aural Skills I, Diatonic Harmony I

Extended Education from Private Music Instruction

Composition from Lei Liang, Justin Dello Joio, Lansing McLoskey, Nina C. Young, Marcos Balter, Renée Favand-See, Oliver Weber, Ken Walicki, and Norman Weston.

Voice performance from Diane Elias, Al Brightbill, and Scott Farthing.

Trumpet performance from Richard Chasin and Timothy Hall.

Piano performance from Peggy Duquesnel, Pamela Worcester, Juanita Brightbill.

Member of the Music Honor Society, Pi Kappa Lambda, Beta Omega, since May 4, 2017.

Area Award for Graduate Composition at California State University, Fullerton, May 2017.

Alan Mannason Composition Scholarship, June 2016.

1st Place, Division IV in the 8th Annual Vocal Competition held by The Follman-Young Foundation for the Arts and Professional Opera Singer’s Association at Chapman University in Orange, California, January 26, 2014.

Angels for the Arts Scholarship for Opera Voice at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California, May 2012.

Newgate Music & Arts, Founder / Executive Director / Composer-in-residence of this 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization advocating for contemporary classical concert music by exposing the community through large-scale events involving visual art, student recitals, and live performances of new local and international compositions. Worked alongside the City of Mission Viejo’s Cultural Arts Committee, Friends of the Arts, and Mission Viejo Film Festival, performing in Southern California; Board of Directors: Ben Hunter, Grant Voss, Lauren Graham, Joris Hoogsteder; January 2016 until January 2018. 

• OUTWARD, new music and arts event at the Norman P. Murray Center in Mission Viejo, California, with six guest visual artists, two composers and five new music premieres; April 15, 2016.
  • Guest Artists: Steven Homestead, Mandy Hinkle, Hugh Schone, Jean Marie Christian, Leslie Grainger, & David Kricorian
  • Composers: Chase Chandler & Joris Hoogsteder
• HAUNTINGS, new music and arts event at the Norman P. Murray Center in Mission Viejo, California, with three guest visual artists, three composers and five new music premieres; October 15, 2016.
  • Guest Artists: Stefan Cummings, Brandon Tisor, & Steven Homestead
  • Composers: Chase Chandler, Steven Homestead, & Joris Hoogsteder
• NEW BEGINNINGS, new music and arts event at the Norman P. Murray Center in Mission Viejo, California, with three guest visual artists, five composers and seven new music premieres; December 10, 2016.
  • Guest Artists: Steven Homestead, Jean Marie Christian, & Laura Ochoa
  • Composers: Joris Hoogsteder, Chase Chandler, Will Reeder, Steven Homestead, & Andrew Wilcox
• MISSION VIEJO FILM COMPOSER COMPETITION (MVFCC), international film composer competition with the final round held for the public with three guest filmmakers, ten composers, and thirteen new music premieres, hosted alongside Mission Viejo Film Festival; April 29, 2017.
  • 1st place: Mike von der Nahmer
  • 2nd place: Mauro Agagliate
  • 3rd place: Lewis Gehami
• SLEEPLESS HOLLOW, new music and arts event at the Norman P. Murray Center in Mission Viejo, California, with three guest visual artists, five composers and nine new music premieres; October 28, 2017.
  • Guest Artist: Laura Jo Ceramics
  • Composers: Chase Chandler, Lewis Gehami, Sina Karachiani, Geoffrey Munger, Felipe Durán, & Joris Hoogsteder

CINQUE: Chamber Music Collective, Founder / Director of this progressive chamber ensemble involving Chase Chandler (voice/trumpet/piano), Ben Hunter (trumpet/voice), Karissa Lystrup (piano/organ/voice), Michael Miller (clarinet/voice), and Gretchen Sheetz (harp/voice), performing new music in Irvine and Orange, CA; May 2014 until February 2015.

• BOY BLUE, a benefit concert for L.A.C. featuring new music premieres at the Concordia University, Irvine in Irvine, California, with five composers and ten new music premieres; nearly $1,000 raised, August 24, 2014.

  • Composers: Christian Guebert, Alex Guebert, Chase Chandler, Ben Hunter, & Nick Scutti