Carmen Cortez Dominguez
Director of Instrumental Music at Saddleback College, Carmen Dominguez conducts the Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble.
Carmen Dominguez received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in music from San Diego State University and her doctorate in conducting from the Peabody Institute, Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University where she studied with and was the assistant to the highly respected teacher and conductor, Maestro Frederik Prausnitz. She has also studied and coached with Joan Dorneman, Richard Woitach and Louis Quilico of the Metropolitan Opera and Daniel Lewis, Maurice Abravenel, Gerhardt Zimmerman and Donald Portnoy.
A versatile musician, Dr. Dominguez has conducted musicals and operas on both the East and West Coasts and has been the music director and conductor for the Saddleback College musical theatre productions for the past 12 years with Director/Choreographer and associate faculty member Steve Anthony. Some recent productions have included Personals, Quilters, Dames at Sea, Lucky Stiff, Crazy For You, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Bells Are Ringing. Additionally, she has a keen interest in new works for musical theatre and has served as music director and conductor for the numerous workshops and premieres and as a music consultant for regional orchestras; collaborartors have included actor John Delancie and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Oanh Nguyen, Artistic Director for the Chance Theater in Anaheim. Her past students have performed on Broadway in Spamalot, Hairspray, High Fidelity, A Class Act, Andrew Lippa's Wild Party and National Tours of Thoroughly Modern Mille, Bye Bye, Birdie and Wicked.
Most recently she conducted sold out performances of Andrew Lloyd Webber's sensational PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Prior to that she directed and conducted the acclaimedSWEENEY TODD In CONCERT with the Saddleback Symphony Orchestra in the Doyle Mckinney Theatre.
Her outside musical directing activities include the award winning productions of Assassins for which she recieved Backstage West's Critic's Pick for Outstanding Musical Direction and EVITA at the Chance Theater. Her most current work is for LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at STAGES THEATRE in Fullerton, California.
Since serving as chairperson of the Saddleback College Music Department, she successfully advocated for new equipment. Most notably, a 24 station, state-of-the-art piano/keyboard lab,choral equipment and a 7 foot Steinway Grand Piano donated from the Nordstroms corporation. Additionally, she and her colleagues have recently hired a new piano faculty member. Accomplished as a successful arts fundraiser, she and Dr. Scott Farthing have created two concert series, the Feast of Lights and Musical Theatre In Concert, that annually generate tens of thousands of dollars used to support the music department activities.
Active as a music educator with over two decades of experience encompassing preschool to graduate level instruction, Dr. Dominguez is sought out frequently as a private teacher, clinician and guest conductor. She remains committed to providing exceptional music performance opportunities for young musicians and co-hosts an annual concert festival each Spring for area schools at the Doyle McKinney Theatre.
In addition to her busy performance and teaching schedule Dr. Dominguez has served four terms as the Saddleback College Academic Senate President. She is actively involved in the accreditiation processes for Saddleback College and has served as a co-author for multiple progress reports and principal author for the Standard Four Section of the 2010 Self-Study. She is dedicated to the institutional advancement of Saddleback College and her service and leadership has touched upon almost every component of the college.Her upcoming projects include chairing the College Program Review process. She enjoys collaborating with colleagues, and frequently team teaches an interdisciplinary Honors Course that explores economic theory and the performing arts.
Contact Information:
Carmen Cortez Dominguez, DMA
Chair, Department of Music | Director of Instrumental Music
Saddleback College
28000 Marguerite Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
cdominguez@saddleback.edu
Phone: 949.582.4896