The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD) has named professor Cynthia Kortman Westphal chair of the Department of Musical Theatre. Westphal, who has been an integral member of the musical theatre faculty since 2004 and has served as interim chair since June 2024, brings extensive experience as a musician and musical director on Broadway, on national tours, and in regional productions.
“I am deeply honored by the trust placed in me by Dean Gier and our exceptional faculty to serve as chair of the musical theatre department. It is my great privilege to build upon the 40-year legacy of Brent Wagner, who established the department’s reputation for nurturing talent, instilling discipline, and promoting respect and empathy,” shared Westphal, professor of musical theatre.
While on sabbatical in 2018-19, Westphal music directed the first national tour of the Tony-winning production Come from Away, conducting over 400 performances in 30 cities across the US and Canada. Her Broadway credits include The Lion King, where she was an original company member, associate music director, conductor, and keyboard player for seven years, and A Christmas Story, written by Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, and Tony-winning musical theatre graduates Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. She also conducted the first national tour of A Christmas Story and played keyboards for the show’s run at Madison Square Garden. Additional Broadway credits include Miss Saigon (keyboards) and The Gershwins’ Fascinating Rhythm (music supervisor, music director, conductor). She developed the new musical Hotel California with Glenn Frye of the Eagles just prior to his passing and has developed multiple new musicals with Graham Russell from the rock group Air Supply.
“There is no one better suited to lead the musical theatre department into the future than Cynthia Kortman Westphal,” said David Gier, SMTD dean and Paul C. Boylan Collegiate Professor of Music. “She brings to the role a unique combination of deep instructional expertise, robust industry experience, and an exceptional ability to forge collaborative relationships. Under her guidance, I am confident that SMTD’s world-class musical theatre program will continue to build on its tradition of excellence.”
Regionally, Westphal has worked at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle (Man of La Mancha), Sacramento Music Circus (Beautiful), Hartford Stage Company and Arizona Theatre Company (The Gershwins’ Fascinating Rhythm), and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago (Randy Newman’s Faust). As a keyboard player for Broadway National Tours in Detroit, she has played for such shows as Wicked, Sister Act, Legally Blonde, Tootsie, Spamalot, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Thoroughly Modern Millie, the 25th anniversary tour of Les Misérables, Peter Pan (with Cathy Rigby), The King and I, and Annie. Her television appearances include Good Morning America, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, The Rosie Show on OWN, and Great Performances: Copland’s America on PBS.
Westphal also toured as a pianist with opera singer Andrea Bocelli on two US tours and has worked as an orchestral pianist with Eos Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, and Ann Arbor Symphony. She can be heard on the Grammy Award-winning cast album of The Lion King and the Grammy-nominated album Celluloid Copland with Eos Orchestra.
“As a 20-year faculty member and an active industry artist, I look forward to continuing the department’s connection between the academic and professional worlds for our students – championing academic rigor while developing future industry leaders,” said Westphal. “In this next chapter, we will continue the important work of advancing the art form through diversity, reinvention, and the exploration of new works, shaping the future of musical theatre and inspiring the next generation of artists.”
Westphal is a certified master teacher in Estill Voice Training and co-founded Broadway Vocal Coach, an online voice studio for adult professionals, with SMTD musical theatre alumna Chelsea Wilson. Westphal serves as co-host of Broadway Vocal Coach’s podcast, which is now in its second season. She is a summer faculty member of Kristin Chenoweth’s Broadway Bootcamp, and she also serves as a mentor for Maestra, an organization that provides support to the women and nonbinary musicians in musical theatre, and MUSE: Musicians United For Social Equity. She received a BM in piano performance from Hope College and an MM in piano performance from Western Michigan University.