Lawrence University

The Lawrence Conservatory of Music is a nationally recognized conservatory devoted exclusively to the education of undergraduate musicians within a college of the liberal arts and sciences.

The faculty of performers, composers, scholars, and pedagogues provide individual attention and guidance to the more than 350 music majors and the many college students who participate in the Conservatory’s activities.

Music facilities are housed within three adjoining buildings: the Music-Drama Center, the Memorial Chapel, and the Ruth Harwood Shattuck Hall of Music. The music library, located in the Media Center of the University library, holds more than 30,000 recordings and scores as well as music reference works.

Music students choose from five degree programs: the Bachelor of Music degree in performance, the Bachelor of Music degree in music education (instrumental; general; choral/general; instrumental/general; choral/general/instrumental), the Bachelor of Music degree in theory-composition, the Bachelor of Arts degree in music, and the double degree. The Lawrence five-year double-degree program permits students to earn a Bachelor of Music degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in a discipline other than music. The combined degree program provides both professional-level study of music and a rigorous academic program of study. In addition, students may design their own majors or pursue a double major within the Bachelor of Music degree. The curriculum in the Conservatory of Music seeks to ensure that all music students, regardless of their major, graduate with a thorough and firm grounding in music theory and analysis, music history and literature, and both solo and ensemble performance.

At Lawrence, music is not isolated from the other disciplines. All music majors complete a core curriculum in the college in addition to their Conservatory course work. Conservatory students live in the same residence halls and dine with college students, taking full advantage of the residential nature of the liberal arts institution. While the degree curriculum within the Conservatory is intense and focused in music, it allows students to explore the liberal arts and sciences through an array of courses taught by an accomplished faculty. The study of music at Lawrence occurs within the context of the liberal arts, thereby providing a well-rounded, broad-based understanding of music.

This preparation and training have allowed Lawrence’s students and ensembles to receive national and international awards; major ensembles have performed at regional and national music conferences and have recorded CDs for national distribution; students have placed as finalists and winners in the Metropolitan Opera auditions, the Concert Artists Guild Competition, the MTNA Solo and Chamber Music Competitions, the Grace Vamos Competition, and Down Beat magazine’s Outstanding Jazz Big Band Award and Outstanding Jazz Composition Award competitions, among others. Each summer, a number of conservatory students continue their studies at festivals such as Tanglewood and Aspen.

Lawrence University is committed to the development of intellect and talent, the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, and the cultivation of judgment and values. The University prepares students for lives of service, achievement, leadership, and personal fulfillment. Lawrence Conservatory graduates are counted not only among the ranks of professional orchestras and opera companies, Grammy Award winners, university faculties, elementary and high school teachers, college administrators, and composers, but also among authors, medical and law professionals, and public servants.

Program Facilities

The Conservatory’s facilities include the Memorial Chapel (concert hall of 1,250 seats); Harper Recital Hall (250 seats); Miller Hall (150 seats/choral rehearsal hall); an orchestral rehearsal hall (315 seats); a jazz rehearsal/recording studio; percussion studios; a recording studio that includes a 16-track digital system with compact disk recording, editing, and production capabilities; a Macintosh-based computer lab, offering MIDI technology in conjunction with Finale, Symphony, and Vivace programs; Cloak Theatre (experimental black box); Stansbury Theatre (proscenium theater of 500 seats); WLFM campus radio station; historical instruments, such as an 1815 Broadwood piano and a Guarneri violin; and the forty-one-stop mechanical action organ by John Brombaugh.

Faculty and Resident Artists

There are 38 full-time faculty members and 23 part-time faculty members. Artists-in-residence include faculty chamber ensembles and baritone Dale Duesing. Recent visiting artists include Emanuel Ax, Midori, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, Diane Reeves, the American Brass Quintet, and the Vermeer String Quartet.

Student Performance Opportunities

Ensembles include Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Collegium Musicum, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, African and Brazilian Drumming Ensembles, Cello Ensemble, Low Brass Choir, Horn Choir, Concert Choir, Lawrence Chorale, Opera Theatre, Music Theatre, Jazz Singers, and numerous chamber ensembles and small jazz groups.

Special Programs

The Conservatory also offers a five-year double-degree (B.A./B.Mus.) program; music education certification (K–12); fifty-five off-campus programs, both domestic and international; academic advising; residence hall life; a counseling center; a career center; a writing skills lab; more than 100 campus clubs and organizations; twenty-three varsity sports; and numerous club and intramural sports.

Application Procedures

Deadline--freshmen: January 15; transfers: May 15. Notification date--freshmen: April 1; transfers: June 1. Required: essay, high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, 3 letters of recommendation, audition. Recommended: minimum 3.0 high school GPA, interview. Auditions held 14 times on campus and off campus in New York, NY; Washington, D.C.; Boston, MA; Denver, CO; Interlochen, MI; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Houston, TX; Atlanta, GA; recorded music is permissible as a substitute for live auditions when distance is prohibitive to campus or a regional site (over 350 miles) and videotaped performances are permissible as a substitute for live auditions when distance is prohibitive to campus or a regional site (over 350 miles).