Erin Theodorakis

Erin Theodorakis is a music educator and performer who is passionate about exploring music as a form of storytelling and as a way to bring people from all walks of life together. She holds a Masters degree in Operatic Voice Performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she was a recipient of the Shepherd School’s Provost Award. Originally from Southern California, Professor Theodorakis graduated from Chapman University with a Bachelor of Music degree in both Vocal Performance and Music Education.

Theodorakis has been working in and around choral groups for as long as she can remember. Currently, she serves as a staff singer in the Grammy award-winning Pacific Chorale under the direction of Robert Istad, and has the privilege of being a part of the vocal music staff at the Tesoro High School with fellow Chapman alums Professor Mikayla Feldman and Keith Hancock.

On the opera stage, Theodorakis has played roles ranging from Jo March in Little Women to La Vecchia Zita in Gianni Schicchi. Most recently, she joined the Parnassus Society as La Marquise in their production of La Fille du Régiment. Theodorakis's engagements on the concert stage have included solos in Bach’s Magnificat, the Vivaldi Gloria, Handel’s Messiah, and Mendelssohn's Elijah, to name a few. For four years in a row between 2014 and 2017, Theodorakis was awarded first place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Los Angeles Competition in her division. In 2021, Theodorakis was recognized as a district winner in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition for the San Diego District. She went on to win an encouragement award at the Regional Competition in Los Angeles.

In addition to her classical music credits, Professor Theodorakis has spent over a decade in the world of contemporary a cappella. She began as a member and eventually the Music Director of Chapman’s very own Soundcheck, who she led to the finals of the International Competition for Collegiate A Cappella in 2016 - an honor awarded to only ten groups from the United States and the United Kingdom annually. She has gone on to lead Titanium, Tesoro High School’s award-winning a cappella ensemble. In 2023, Titanium was selected as a finalist in the International Competition for High School A Cappella, and placed fourth overall. Theodorakis is also an accomplished vocal arranger.

Outside of the classroom, Theodorakis has been running her own private voice studio since 2015. She strives to teach her students to use their whole body as their instrument, while simultaneously instilling in them a detailed knowledge of the vocal mechanism - empowering them with the confidence to be in control of their own voice. Students of hers have gone on to study music at NYU, UCLA, San Francisco Conservatory, Oklahoma City University, and Chapman, among others.

As a proud Chapman alumna, Professor Theodorakis is honored to be returning to her alma mater to conduct the University Treble Choir. While she has worn many hats in the music world, choral music has always been her first love.