Ted Chapin Will Depart Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization After 40 Years

Ted Chapin has decided to step down as President and Chief Creative Officer of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization at the end of his current contract this month, Scott Pascucci, CEO of Concord, announced today. His departure comes exactly 40 years after the Rodgers and Hammerstein families first tapped Chapin to run their business.

"It's astonishing to me just how fast time passes when you love what you do. I can't help but feel that, over the course of our time together, this incredible organization and I have helped each other grow and flourish in ways that could never have been anticipated 40 years ago," said Chapin. "As I look forward to the next act of my life in the theatre, I take with me cherished memories, dear friends, and - above all - gratitude. I am confident that Concord will continue to steward this catalog with passion and care."

"Ted's experience, deep knowledge, and steadfast guidance have been a vital part of the successful Rodgers & Hammerstein heritage and integration of the catalog into Concord since 2017, when we acquired Imagem. We are grateful for his time here and wish him well in his new ventures," said Pascucci. "I have full confidence in the vibrant and experienced Concord team continuing to champion R&H, one of the jewels of our portfolio."

One of the theater industry's longest-running tenures, Chapin expanded what was a family business into the company that was The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, responsible for management of the copyrights created by Richard Rodgers and/or Oscar Hammerstein II and others. On Chapin's watch, there have been several new major productions of Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals on Broadway - eight of which won Tony Awards for Best Musical Revival, including On Your Toes, Carousel, Show Boat, Annie Get Your Gun, South Pacific, The King and I (twice), and Oklahoma! - in London and around the world.

He brought in the representation of other extraordinary musical artists including Irving Berlin. In addition to revivals, he has helped shepherd new Broadway productions, including Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, State Fair, A Grand Night for Singing, and Holiday Inn, as well as major, highly rated television productions like The Sound of Music Live! on NBC and Cinderella, starring Whitney Houston, on ABC.

In 2003, his book Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical "Follies," based on his experience as the production assistant on the original Broadway production of Follies, was published by Alfred A. Knopf, winning both an ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award and a Special Jury Prize for Distinguished Achievement by the Theatre Library Association.

Chapin co-founded the Encores! series at New York City Center and has been a host and interviewer on many television shows, including three seasons of NJTV's "American Songbook at NJPAC," and the Wing's "Working in the Theater" and "Careers in the Theater." He was nominated for an ACE Award as producer of a television special honoring Disney music. He appears in various documentary films on the musical theatre, including the PBS shows "Broadway: The American Musical" and "Out of His Dreams," a documentary on Oscar Hammerstein II. He was the producer of two well-received seasons at the 92nd Street Y's Lyrics and Lyricists. He has been on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, served as a judge several times for the Lotte Lenya Competition, was a speaker at Kent Presents and has been a guest lecturer at many universities including Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Duke, Pace, Belmont, Lawrence, and NYU. He is an Emeritus Trustee of Connecticut College. He has been honored with the UJA Excellence in Theater Award, the Leonard Harris Award from City Center and has received awards from TDF, the Fred and Adele Astaire Awards, Career Bridges, Symphony Space, Classic Stage Company, and the Astoria Performing Arts Center.

Chapin will continue his roles as chairman of the Kurt Weill Foundation, co-chair of the American Theatre Wing (having previously served as its chairman for four years), and will serve on the boards of New York City Center and Goodspeed Musicals.

Going forward, the Concord Theatricals staff - many of whom have represented Rodgers & Hammerstein's catalog for decades - will carry on maintaining and creating a bright future for these timeless shows and songs. Chief Theatricals Executive Sean Patrick Flahaven leads first-class production and Imogen Lloyd Webber, SVP, Marketing & Communications, oversees the R&H brand, with contributions from other members of the Concord Theatricals team including Bill Gaden, President, Worldwide; Victoria Traube, EVP, Business & Legal Affairs; Michelle Yaroshko, SVP, Professional Licensing; Vivien Goodwin, SVP, Europe; and Christina Ritter, Senior Director, Licensing Operations. Concord SVP, Film & Television Sophia Dilley; and VP, Non-Traditional Licensing & Sales Nick D'Angiolillo also work to perpetuate the R&H legacy.