Artist. Educator. Entrepreneur.
Dr. Eric J. Lapin is the Artistic Director for the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts and a Senior Lecturer of Music in the Department of Performing Arts at Clemson University. He teaches courses in arts administration, arts entrepreneurship, applied clarinet, and music history.
As a clarinetist, Lapin has performed with the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Orchestra, the Spartanburg Philharmonic, the Limestone College Wind Ensemble, and has given solo performances for the Greenville Music Teachers Association, Clemson University ensembles, and the 2012 Clemson University Victor Hurst Academic Convocation.
Dr. Lapin has presented papers at national and international conferences for the College Music Society, the National Humanities Conference, the Jazz Education Network, the Humanities Education and Research Association, and was named February 2017 Researcher of the Month by the Clemson University Library. He is published in several peer-reviewed journals, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed on arts entrepreneurship, teaching pedagogy, and arts curriculum development. His book, "The Artist Entrepreneur: Finding Success in a New Arts Economy," with Ronald C. McCurdy and Richard E. Goodstein was published by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers in December 2019.
Dr. Lapin holds bachelors and masters degrees in Music Performance from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Clemson University. He is also currently pursuing an MBA from Clemson University focusing on Entrepreneurship and Innovation. In addition, Lapin has served as a delegate to the Faculty Senate, is a member of the South Carolina Humanities Speaker’s Bureau, is on the board of directors for the Pendleton Historic Foundation, and serves on the City of Clemson Public Arts and Culture Commission.