Bard College Conservatory of Music
The Bard College Conservatory of Music is part of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. Founded in 2005, the program is unique among music conservatories in the United States in that all undergraduate students are required to participate in a five-year dual-degree program, in which both a B.M. in music and a B.A. in a subject other than music are obtained.[1] Many of the Conservatory's faculty also teach at other conservatories such as the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute.
Undergraduate faculty teach the standard orchestral/chamber music instruments and composition. The Conservatory also offers two graduate programs: the Graduate Vocal Arts Program and the Graduate Conducting Program, and a Post-graduate Collaborative Piano Fellowship in addition to a Preparatory Division and The Conductor's Institute.
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Mission Statement [edit]
Music, like all art, engages the mind and the heart. It redefines boundaries and questions limits in order to make a meaningful statement about the human condition. The education of the mind is, therefore, as important as the education of the fingers. The greatest musicians not only have the technical mastery to communicate effectively, but also are deeply curious and equally adept at analytical and emotional modes of thought.
The mission of The Bard College Conservatory of Music is to provide the best possible preparation for a person dedicated to a life immersed in the creation and performance of music.
Facilities [edit]
- The László Z. Bitó Conservatory Building
The construction of the László Z. Bitó Conservatory Building began in October 2011 and is scheduled for completion in January 2012. Made possible by a generous $9.2 million gift from Bard alumnus László Z. Bitó, class of 1960, this state-of-the-art teaching and performance facility addresses the growing needs of the Conservatory, brought on by its fivefold growth since its founding in 2005. The building is designed by Deborah Berke & Partners Architects.[2]
- Blum Hall
- Olin Hall
Conservatory Programs [edit]
The Bard College Conservatory of Music offers a five-year undergraduate program in which each student pursues two degrees concurrently: a Bachelor of Music degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in a field other than music. At the graduate level, the Conservatory offers two two-year programs.
The Undergraduate Double Degree Program [edit]
All Conservatory undergraduates pursue a five-year program leading to two degrees: the bachelor of music and the bachelor of arts in a field other than music. The pursuit of these two degrees at Bard is thoroughly integrated. Conservatory students live, eat, and attend most classes with non-Conservatory students, and are fully part of the academic and social life of the College. Each Conservatory student has two academic advisers, one from the Conservatory and one from a field that the student is considering as a major for the B.A. degree. The bachelor of music program contains many innovative components: all performance majors study composition, and the Conservatory Seminar integrates music theory and music history with special emphasis on their relation to performance. The curricula of the Conservatory and the College are flexible, allowing participants to create the sequence of music and other courses that best suits each student. The aim of the Conservatory and the College is to foster a unified learning environment where the serious study of music goes hand in hand with the education of the whole person.
The Graduate Vocal Arts Program [edit]
The vocal arts curriculum is divided into three main components: Core Seminars, private instruction, and workshops.
The program’s innovative curriculum centers on the Core Seminar, which meets once a week for three hours. Each semester the seminar focuses on a topic that addresses different aspects of the singing life: poetry and text, international musical influences, building and sustaining a musical career, and opera. Students delve into an intensive study of a diverse repertory under the guidance of the resident faculty and guest artist teachers.
- Core Seminar I: Dickinson, Goethe, and Verlaine
- Core Seminar II: Singing and Song in the Global Era
- Core Seminar III: Expanding the Workshop
- Core Seminar IV: The Singer and the Stage
Course work also includes concentrated study in vocal instruction, including a weekly private voice lesson as well as private vocal coaching, diction and phonetics, chamber music, and movement and acting. The Alexander Technique workshop offers instruction in both a class setting and in individual tutorials, with a special focus on the breath.
The Graduate Conducting Program [edit]
The Orchestral and Choral Conducting Program of The Bard College Conservatory of Music is a two-year graduate curriculum that culminates in the master of music (M.M.) degree. The program equips its graduates with the broad-based skills and experience necessary to meet the special opportunities and challenges of a conducting or conducting-related career in the 21st century.
The Post-Graduate Collaborative Piano Fellowship [edit]
The Postgraduate Collaborative Piano Fellowship is a two-year fellowship designed to give professional experience to pianists who have a strong interest in becoming collaborative artists, with the ultimate aim of easing the transition between school and the working world of a collaborative pianist. The fellowship is open to both students who have already completed a degree in collaborative piano and those students who have completed a bachelor's degree in piano performance and have a strong interest in further study in collaborative piano.
Faculty[3] [edit]
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Piano
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Violin
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Percussion
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Viola
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Cello
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Double Bass
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Flute
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Oboe
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Clarinet
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Bassoon
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Horn
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Trumpet
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Trombone
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Tuba |
Harp
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Composition
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Chamber Music
Note that performance faculty also coach chamber music. |
Orchestral Studies
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Music Theory and History
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Performance Studies |
Performance Practice
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MM in Vocal Arts
- Dawn Upshaw, Artistic Director
- Kayo Iwama, Head of Program
- Edith Bers
- Patricia Misslin
- Lorraine Nubar
MM in Conducting
- James Bagwell, Co-director
- Leon Botstein, Co-director
- Harold Farberman, Co-director
See also [edit]
- Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
- Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera
- Shanghai Quartet
- Orion String Quartet
- Kneisel Hall
- Bard Prison Initiative
- Longy School of Music of Bard College
References [edit]
External links [edit]
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