Conservatory Facts
519
undergraduate students
300+
concerts and performances
62
full-time faculty
166
graduate students
30+
performing groups
53
part-time faculty
We are what’s next
Virginia鈥檚 premier location for collaborative performing arts education
Shenandoah Conservatory is聽
- Your home for high-level, individualized instruction in top-ranked programs from more than 100 master artist-educators
- Known for its unique bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚, artist diploma, and doctoral programs in music, theatre, dance, and performing arts leadership聽
- Saturated with immersive arts experiences, including more than 300 performance opportunities produced yearly
- Igniting curiosity as a leading hub for wide-ranging research opportunities with faculty scholars
- An inclusive community of creatives pursuing artistic excellence and innovative collaborations
- Surrounded by the Shenandoah Valley鈥檚 natural beauty with convenient access to the major metropolitan areas of the East Coast
- At the center of a vital alumni network engaged in creative work on Broadway, with elite musical ensembles, in top recording studios and film and television, and as educators, music therapists, voice scientists, dancers, business owners, and so much more.
Why Shenandoah Conservatory?
Daniel Shores, '99
Daniel mixed "Songs of Orpheus," winner of Best Classical Solo Vocal Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards. He's a five-time Grammy nominee and the albums he has recorded have earned 20 Grammy nominations and 1 Latin Grammy win.
鈥淚 always strive to make great music 鈥 anything that happens after that is just icing on the cake. I鈥檇 rather make an album that sounds amazing than ever be concerned about an award.鈥
Music Production & Recording Technology聽
Why Shenandoah Conservatory?
Roman Banks, '21
Roman is the first African-American to play Evan Hansen, the title role in the Tony-winning Broadway smash 鈥淒ear Evan Hansen!鈥 He first performed the role on December 12, 2018.
"I鈥檝e received endless amounts of messages from people of color, both young and old, telling me how much it means to them that I鈥檓 playing the role. This opportunity is, in every essence of the phrase, a dream come true.鈥
Musical Theatre
Why Shenandoah Conservatory?
Thomas Wilkins, '74
In 2019, Thomas conducted the National Symphony Orchestra in a performance featuring Jennifer Hudson. He is the conductor of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
"I've wanted to be a conductor since I was 8 years old. I had never heard an orchestra before, and I knew at that moment that this was what I wanted to do with my life. When a person who looks like me, sees me and thinks 'that is a possibility for me life' 鈥 I'm excited about that."
Conducting
Why Shenandoah Conservatory?
Aubrey Lawrence, '15
Aubrey is now thrilling audiences with the innovative dance company, Diavolo: Architecture in Motion. She tours extensively and has been featured with Diavolo on 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Got Talent.鈥澛
"I was drawn to Shenandoah's program because of the versatility 鈥 You didn't have to choose an emphasis, like ballet or just jazz or just modern. It's a triple emphasis! I have a million reasons that answer the question 'Why Shenandoah?'"
Dance
Why Shenandoah Conservatory?
Emily Menhorn, 鈥15
Emily聽is changing the lives of patients at Children鈥檚 Hospital in Oklahoma City!
鈥淗e鈥檒l lie in bed sick all day long and not speak to his doctors, nurses, or us, and Miss Emily comes in and he jumps out of bed and starts playing the drums,鈥 said the mother of one of Emily鈥檚 patients, Carson. In a place with so much fear, uncertainty, and pain, Emily is a light that pierces darkness. 鈥淚s it easier to be here when she鈥檚 around?" asks Carson's nurse. 鈥淵eah.鈥 says Carson. 鈥淲hy is that?鈥 Carson replies, 鈥淏ecause she gives us hope.鈥
Music Therapy
Admission to Shenandoah Conservatory is highly competitive.
Not only must students be academically admissible, they must also complete and pass the mandatory audition/portfolio review and interview process. Audition dates are limited and may fill and close well in advance of the audition date.
聽Conservatory News
Carson and Dance Students Present 鈥楽ay My Name鈥 at Jazz Choreography Enterprises Jazz Dance Project
Auxiliary Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dance Tiffanie Carson, M.F.A., and 17 members of the Shenandoah Conservatory Dance Ensemble were invited to ... Continue Reading Carson and Dance Students Present鈥
Grant 鈥21 Nominated for Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brody Grant 鈥21 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre) was nominated for the 2024 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in ... Continue Reading Grant 鈥21 Nominated for Tony鈥
四虎影视 Receives Historic $20M Gift from Alumnus
We're delighted to share that 四虎影视 has received the single largest gift in its almost-150-year history! This $20 million gift, from ... Continue Reading 四虎影视 Receives Historic $20M鈥
Conservatory Faculty
Caring and Accomplished
Shenandoah Conservatory鈥檚 prestigious faculty is dynamic, creative, caring, compassionate, wise and passionately committed to the highest levels of artistic and professional excellence.聽
Here, you鈥檒l study with, and perform for, award-winning composers, theatre directors and designers, and choreographers; Metropolitan Opera singers; Broadway veterans; Grammy Award-winning faculty and international competition winners.聽
You鈥檒l gain a vibrant, holistic performing arts education as you learn from leading scholars in music, theatre and dance and collaborate with classmates to create meaningful artistic experiences.
Conservatory Alumni
Dalrymple 鈥23 and Reed 鈥23 Cast in First National Tour of 鈥楤ack to the Future鈥
Jenny Dalrymple 鈥23 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre) and Zo毛 Brooke Reed 鈥23 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre) have been cast in the first national tour of 鈥淏ack to the Future.鈥 ... Continue Reading Dalrymple 鈥23 and Reed 鈥23鈥
Grant 鈥21 Nominated for Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brody Grant 鈥21 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre) was nominated for the 2024 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his work in the role of Ponyboy ... Continue Reading Grant 鈥21 Nominated for Tony鈥
Research Study by Rivas Berger 鈥13, 鈥16, 鈥22 Published in Music Medicine
The research study, 鈥淭he Impact of a Single Music Therapy Session on Pain Perception of Patients with Sickle Cell Disease,鈥 by MG Rivas Berger 鈥13, 鈥16, 鈥22, MT-BC (Bachelor of Music in Performance, ... Continue Reading Research Study by Rivas Berger鈥
ShenCoLAB
Shenandoah Conservatory turns over the programming and facilities to its students for a week of unbridled exploration, collaboration and creativity.
ShenCoLAB is the only such week of its magnitude and scope offered by a university performing arts program in the United States.
The week culminates in an extraordinary event: the Festival of Arts, Ideas & Exploration, which featured 27 performances and five presentations in the inaugural year!
Take a Virtual Tour of Shenandoah Conservatory
Shenandoah Conservatory is an exciting hub of collaboration and innovation. Here's a chance to take a quick look at all the spaces in which our students engage in rich and rewarding creative experiences in music, theatre, and dance.
We're an All-Steinway School
Great music stirs the heart and inspires the soul, and Steinway pianos are celebrated as the instruments used by renowned artists to cultivate their talent and produce great music. Similarly, uncompromising excellence in performing arts education sparks the imagination and inspires the future.