Visual & Performing Arts

Program Description

The Catholic University of America

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As Washington, D.C.’s only university school of music, the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music is both professionally competitive and personally supportive. The School has an excellent location and offers numerous performance opportunities both on and off campus in the city of Washington. Through its comprehensive graduate and undergraduate programs, the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music is committed to excellence and personal attention. The School of Music is a professional school within a liberal arts university.

Undergraduate students study with an outstanding full-time faculty of artists-scholars and an extensive part-time faculty, including members of the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington Opera Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Piano faculty members perform internationally in solo, chamber, and orchestra programs. Voice faculty members have performance experience or are currently performing with nationally and internationally renowned opera houses, such as the Metropolitan Opera and La Scala. Undergraduates benefit from teaching by scholars whose research includes Gregorian chant, medieval music, opera, musical theater, and twentieth-century music. In addition, many of the world’s greatest performers hold master classes at the Catholic University of America, including Andre Watts, Gian Carlo Menotti, Faith Prince, Mstislav Rostropovich, Renata Scotto, and Joseph Kalichstein.

The School of Music offers the Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree, with majors in performance (orchestral instruments, organ, piano, and voice), music education (choral, orchestral, and combined) composition, music history, musical theater, and literature (honors program). Students may pursue dual degrees in music and another discipline. Students who wish to major in music without the rigorous musical training demanded in the B.M. curriculum may pursue a B.A. with a concentration in music and/or minor in music.

With a present enrollment of 350 music majors, the School schedules numerous concerts, recitals, and special events throughout each academic year. As performance is the focus of all the degree programs, more than 200 performances are presented each year. In addition to solo recitals and chamber music, the CUA Symphony Orchestra, Chorus, and Chamber Choir perform throughout the academic year. These concerts are highlighted by a nationally televised Christmas concert, concerto and vocal competitions, fully staged opera and musical theater productions, and a yearly week-long festival of the arts that includes symposia, films, concerts, and musical theater productions. Last year, the School of Music was invited to participate in the prestigious Prague Spring Festival. Members of the orchestra and chorus performed Defiant Requiem, a concert drama about the Verdi Requiem at Terezin, 1943–1944, with recollections, historic film, and a full performance of Verdi’s score. The production was conceived, written, and conducted by Murry Sidlin, dean of the School of Music.

Music alumni and faculty members have won many awards and maintain high professional visibility as performers, music educators, composers, liturgical musicians, and scholars. Among those who have received national and international recognition are Grammy Award winners John Aler (opera) and Robert Shafer (choral conductor), and Emmy Award winners Marilyn Neeley (piano) and Robert Gerle (violin). Graduates of the School of Music have performed on Broadway, off-Broadway, in touring companies and regional theaters; at the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Opera, and York City Opera; and with virtually every major symphony orchestra in the United States.

Catholic University is housed on a spacious 144-acre campus in the heart of Washington, D.C. The campus provides an impressive combination of collegiate and city life. Student life is culturally dynamic in a city that is famous for museums, monuments, and landmarks, such as Capitol Hill, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the National Zoo, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Most attractions are just minutes from campus via Metrorail, a modern subway system that stops adjacent to the campus.

The School of Music performance spaces include the acoustically excellent Ward Recital Hall (120 seats), Hartke Theatre (590 seats), and St. Vincent’s Chapel (400 seats). School of Music performances are also held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the campus of CUA, at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, and at the Concert Hall and the Millennium Stage of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Music students have also performed in many of the regional theaters in and around Washington.

There are numerous internships available in Washington, D.C. Music students have interned at local television stations, local theaters, the Washington Performing Arts Society, the Washington Opera, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Application Procedures

Deadline--freshmen: February 1; transfers: June 1. Required: essay, high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, minimum 3.0 high school GPA, letter of recommendation, audition, SAT I or ACT test scores. Recommended: interview, SAT. Auditions held 1 time on campus; recorded music is permissible as a substitute for live auditions if a campus visit is impossible and videotaped performances are permissible as a substitute for live auditions if a campus visit is impossible.

Undergraduate Contact

Dr. Amy Antonelli, Assistant Dean , Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, The Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia 20064; 202-319-5414, fax: 202-319-6280.

Graduate Contact

Dr. Joseph Santo, Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, The Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia 20064; 202-319-5414, fax: 202-319-6280.