skīˈlər, chāˈpĭn, 1923–, American operatic manager, b. New York City. He studied music with Nadia Boulanger. In 1953 he joined Columbia Artists as tour manager; he also served with Columbia Records as director of artists and repertoire. From 1963 until 1968 he was vice president in charge of programming of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Upon the death (1972) of Goeran Gentele (whose assistant he had been), Chapin succeeded him as acting general manager and then as general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, a position he held until 1976. He was dean of the Columbia Univ. School of the Arts from 1976 to 1987, when he became dean emeritus. Since 1994, Chapin has served as commissioner of New York City's Dept. of Cultural Affairs. He is the author of Leonard Bernstein: Notes from a Friend (1992) and Sopranos, Mezzos, Tenors, Bassos and Other Friends (1995).

See his Musical Chairs: A Life in the Arts (1978).

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

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