Robert Chappell
Robert Chappell received degrees from Ohio State University and the University of North Texas. His teachers include: Cloyd Duff, Joe Adato, Kal Cherry, Gerald Unger, Kwaku Dadey, Zakir Hussain, and Alla Rahka. His principal composition teacher was Larry Austin (UNT).
Robert has been a member of the Columbus, Ft. Worth, Dallas, and Indianapolis Symphonies and he currently plays in the Illinois Chamber Symphony. In 1973, he joined the Paul Winter Consort as keyboardist/percussionist and toured for five years throughout the U.S., Japan, Canada, and Mexico, and recorded three albums with the group. Chappell started his own world-jazz group, Rhythmic Union in 1979 and the group has since recorded two albums and continues to tour actively. In 1990, Robert received an Indo-American research fellowship to continue study with world-renowned tala master Ustad Alla Rahka in Bombay India.
Chappell has taught at the University of North Texas, Indiana State University, and Northern Illinois University where he is currently Head of Percussion Studies. In the summer of 1993, he was invited by the Ju Percussion Foundation to teach in Taiwan as part of their international teacher program.
