The New England Conservatory of Music

The New England Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1867, it is one of the oldest independent music schools in the United States. The conservatory offers undergraduate, graduate, and diploma programs in performance, composition, conducting, jazz studies, and contemporary musical arts. Its campus on Huntington Avenue includes Jordan Hall, a major concert venue in Boston. The New England Conservatory of Music attracts students focused on intensive professional training in classical, jazz, and contemporary music, as well as young musicians enrolled in its preparatory and continuing education programs.

The New England Conservatory of Music was founded in 1867 in Boston, Massachusetts, by Eben Tourjée, who sought to create an American conservatory modeled on leading European institutions. Classes were first held at Boston Music Hall before the conservatory expanded to larger facilities in the South End during the late nineteenth century. By the 1880s, the school had established strong ties with the newly formed Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1902, The New England Conservatory of Music moved to its current Huntington Avenue campus, and Jordan Hall opened in 1903 as its principal performance space. During the twentieth century, the conservatory expanded its academic offerings, launching a master’s degree in 1933, creating a preparatory school in 1950, and establishing one of the first accredited jazz studies programs in 1969. Today, The New England Conservatory of Music continues to operate as a specialized institution dedicated to professional music training.