Chapman, William Rogers, 1855-1935

William Rogers Chapman was born on August 4, 1855 to the Rev. William Chapman and Emily Bishop Chapman. As his father died only three months after his birth, he was raised by his mother in Bethel and received his musical education in New York. As a teenager he visited Europe and played for Liszt. Upon returning to the United States, Chapman taught music in the public schools and became the organist at the Church of the Covenant. He then married Emma Louise Faulkner in Chicago in 1877. Chapman first organized the Musurgia Society (a men’s choral group), and in 1887 he founded the Rubinstein Club of New York City – a women’s choral club. The Rubenstein Club’s goal was to encourage the study of music, particularly of the choral and instrumental variety. The club gave performances by its members, and also invited guest artists to perform with them on many occasions. Chapman was a noted conductor, and supported music through teaching and through the formation of clubs and festivals. He helped to organize the Maine Music Festival and was also tied to the Maine symphony orchestra. He died on March 27, 1935

American composer and conductor, William Rogers Chapman (1855-1935) had a significant impact on the development of musical performance and education in both New York City and Maine through his founding of the Rubinstein Club and the Maine Music Festival.

Born in Hannover, Massachusetts to the Reverend William Chapman and Emily Bishop Chapman, Chapman primarily was raised by his mother in Bethel, Maine and received his musical training in New York, Berlin, and Leipzig. While in Europe as a teenager he had played before Liszt. Chapman taught music in the public schools and became the organist at the Church of the Covenant in New York City. He chiefly composed church, choral, and piano music. The first music group Chapman organized was the Musurgia Society (a men's choral group). In 1887, he founded the Rubinstein Club of New York City, a women's choral group. The club, which met at the Waldorf-Astoria (where Chapman and his wife, Emma Louise Faulkner, who later served as president of the club, also lived) gave performances by its members, and also invited guest artists to perform with them on many occasions. Chapman later settled in Bethel, and, in 1897, he helped to establish the Maine Music Festival, which took place in Bangor and Portland; he also had ties to the Maine Symphony Orchestra.