The Boston Conservatory

The Boston Conservatory trains exceptional young performing artists for careers that enrich and transform the human experience. Known for its multidisciplinary environment, the Conservatory offers fully accredited graduate and undergraduate programs in music, dance, and theater, and it presents more than 200 performances each year by students, faculty members, and guest artists. The intimacy of the Conservatory’s class settings provides a student-centered atmosphere that is uniquely intensive and supportive.

Since its founding in 1867, the Boston Conservatory has shared its talent and creativity with the city of Boston, the region, and the nation, and it continues to grow today as a vibrant community of artists and educators.

The Boston Conservatory was one of the first colleges to offer integrated training in theater, encompassing acting, voice, and dance. Beginning as a full acting/drama program in the 1930s, the Theater Division now trains the “triple threat” actor/singer, offering a complete musical theater and acting curriculum coupled with music and voice study and a full range of dance (ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and styles). The B.F.A. theater program offers in-depth courses in theater academics and cultural liberal arts.

The Theater Division faculty is composed of experienced performers and teachers committed to bringing out the best each student has to offer. Potential is acknowledged and developed within a strong interactive musical theater curriculum. Frequent in-class performances with appropriate coaching and critique give guidance and constant evaluation of the student’s work.

Performance opportunities are available throughout the year, from in-class and studio work to mainstage productions. All major productions are directed by faculty members or guest directors and have an open, professional casting policy in order for the most qualified person to get the role regardless of class standing. Technical and stagecraft experience is provided, and production assistance is required for freshmen during major runs.

In addition to these opportunities, the studio theater offers small-scale productions throughout the year, directed by faculty members, graduate students, and senior directors.

The Boston Conservatory’s alumni can be seen performing on Broadway in Mamma Mia, The Drowsy Chaperone, and The Little Mermaid; in national tours of Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, and Miss Saigon; at the Globe Theater in London; on television in Law and Order, Judging Amy, and The Young and the Restless; and as producers, directors, and creators of Broadway, touring, and television productions, such as Forbidden Broadway and MADTV.

The Boston area provides varied outside work in theater and dance as well as industrials. Regional theater productions often cast students in both lead and ensemble parts.

Boston is a major center of higher education in America, with more than fifty major colleges and universities. The city provides a diverse student population and an endless array of courses, lectures, concerts, and social opportunities. The Conservatory is a member of the Pro-Arts Consortium, in conjunction with five area colleges (Emerson College, Berklee College of Music, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art, and Boston Architectural Center), offering cross-registration course possibilities to all students.

On-campus housing is provided for freshmen. Housing is available to upperclassmen and graduates on a space-available basis, offering brownstone-style living accommodations just a few steps from the main training and rehearsal buildings. For those students interested in off-campus housing, Boston offers a wide range of architectural styles and rent prices in neighborhoods throughout the city, which are all within easy access to the school by public transportation.

The Boston Conservatory strives to meet each student’s needs—musically and personally—and provides a nurturing, safe environment in which to study, learn, and grow. The supportive atmosphere of the college extends to student life areas as well. More than a dozen special interest groups and organizations exist on campus, with new ones developing constantly as the student population grows and its needs change. As part of the student services, a number of career seminars are given each year ranging from resume writing and audition anxiety to grant writing and tax laws for the performing artist. In addition, there is an active student government and a student-run newspaper.

Application Procedures

Deadline--freshmen and transfers: December 1. Notification date--freshmen and transfers: April 1. Required: essay, high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, 2 letters of recommendation, interview, audition, minimum TOEFL score of 550 for international applicants, artistic resumé, minimum 2.7 high school GPA. Auditions held 1 time on campus and off campus in Chicago, IL; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; New York, NY; Atlanta, GA; videotaped performances are permissible as a substitute for live auditions if a campus visit or regional audition is impossible.

The Boston Conservatory

Application Procedures

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