The Jan and Beta Popper Endowed Professorship in Opera was established with a $500,000 bequest from the estate of Beta Popper, who died in 2008. Beta and her husband, the late music professor and conductor Jan Popper, spent a lifetime together producing opera all over the world, notably in Asia. Beta, a mezzo-soprano who performed with the San Francisco Opera, was involved with the UC Davis Department of Music. Jan was on the UCLA faculty, but assisted many UC campuses, including UC Davis, as a visiting professor.

His books and papers were donated to the UC Davis music department.  The professorship will be held by a faculty member in the music department who will pursue a broad range of scholarly and creative activities that include opera.