The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger i ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The school offers

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

, and

doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

degrees Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

in the areas of classical performance,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

performance,

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

performance,

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

, and

conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or Choir, choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary d ...

, as well as a bachelor's in

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

. Founded in 1917, the school is located on

Claremont Avenue Claremont Avenue is a short avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It begins at 116th Street and runs north for a length of eleven blocks until it ends at Tiemann Place (the western segment of 127th Stree ...

in the

Morningside Heights Morningside Heights is a neighborhood on the West Side of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Morningside Drive to the east, 125th Street to the north, 110th Street to the south, and Riverside Drive to the west. Morningsi ...

neighborhood of New York City, adjacent to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

and West 122nd Street (Seminary Row). The MSM campus was originally the home to The Institute of Musical Art (which later became

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...

) until Juilliard moved to the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

area of

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

. The property was originally owned by the

Bloomingdale Insane Asylum The Bloomingdale Insane Asylum (1821–1889) was an American private hospital for the care of the mentally ill, founded by New York Hospital. It was located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, where Columbia Un ...

until The Institute of Musical Art purchased it in 1910. The campus of

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

is close by, where it has been since 1895. Many of the students live in the school's residence hall, Andersen Hall.

History

20th century

Manhattan School of Music was founded between 1917 and 1918 by the pianist and philanthropist Janet D. Schenck. It was initially known as the "Neighborhood Music School". Initially located at the

Union Settlement Association Union Settlement is one of the oldest Settlement movement, settlement houses in New York City, providing community-based services and programs that support the immigrant and low-income residents of East Harlem since 1895. It is East Harlem's large ...

on East 104th Street in Manhattan's

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the eas ...

neighborhood, the school moved into a brownstone building at East 105th Street.

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), known in English as Pablo Casals,Harold Bauer Harold Victor Bauer (28 April 1873 – 12 March 1951) was an English-born pianist of Jewish heritage who began his musical career as a violinist. Biography Harold Bauer was born in Kingston upon Thames; his father was a German violinis ...

were among the first of many distinguished artists who offered guidance to the school. Eventually, its name was changed to Manhattan School of Music. In 1943, the artistic and academic growth of the school resulted in a charter amendment to grant the bachelor of music degree. Two subsequent amendments authorized the offering in 1947 of the master of music degree and, in 1974, the degree of doctor of musical arts. In 1956, Dr. Schenck retired and

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

John Brownlee was appointed director, a title later revised to president. President Brownlee initiated the idea of relocating the school to the

neighborhood; his death occurred only months before his efforts were realized. In 1969, George Schick, Metropolitan Opera conductor, accompanist, and opera coach, succeeded Brownlee as president and led the school's move to its present location. He created the

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

program, while all other major school functions were managed by Senior Director Stanley Bednar. John O. Crosby, founder and general director of the

Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby (conductor), John Crosby, oversaw the building of the f ...

, was appointed president in 1976. He was followed by Gideon W. Waldrop, who was appointed in 1986, and Peter C. Simon in 1989. On July 1, 1992, Marta Casals Istomin was named president, a position which she held until October 2005 when she retired.

21st century

Robert Sirota, former director of the

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music and dance music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliat ...

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

, took over the presidency in 2005. He was succeeded by James Gandre, formerly of

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university enrolls arou ...

, effective May 2013. After a contentious union certification battle in 2009, the Precollege Faculty established ARTS-MSM, In 2012, nearly three years after the formation of the union, the school and union had not reached a collective bargaining agreement, leading to a leafletting campaign during the conservatory's audition period that was accompanied by Scabby, the large inflatable rat frequently displayed by New York City labor unions to draw attention to allegedly unscrupulous employers. In 2024, the administration and union once again failed to reach a collective bargaining agreement.

Performance venues

Manhattan School contains multiple performance spaces, each dedicated to separate ensemble requirements. The largest is Neidorff-Karpati Hall, where all orchestral and large jazz ensemble concerts are held. Major renovation of the hall was completed in November 2018.

Notable people

Faculty and administrators

Harold Bauer Harold Victor Bauer (28 April 1873 – 12 March 1951) was an English-born pianist of Jewish heritage who began his musical career as a violinist. Biography Harold Bauer was born in Kingston upon Thames; his father was a German violinis ...

* Raymond Beegle *

Gabriela Beňačková Gabriela Beňačková also Gabriela Beňačková-Čápová (born 25 March 1944 or 1947) is a Slovak lyric soprano. Life and career Beňačková was born in Bratislava on 25 March in either 1944 or 1947. Her father Antonín was a lawyer, and he ...

John Carisi John E. Carisi (February 23, 1922 – October 3, 1992) was an American trumpeter and composer. Early life and career Carisi was born in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey on February 22, 1922,Larkin, Colin (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popula ...

Paul Cohen Paul Joseph Cohen (April 2, 1934 – March 23, 2007) was an American mathematician, best known for his proofs that the continuum hypothesis and the axiom of choice are independent from Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, for which he was awarded a F ...

* Judith Clurman *

Richard Danielpour Richard Danielpour (born January 28, 1956) is an American composer and academic, currently affiliated with the Curtis Institute of Music and the University of California, Los Angeles. Early life Danielpour was born in New York City of Persian Jew ...

Mignon Dunn Mignon Dunn (born June 17, 1928, in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American dramatic mezzo-soprano and voice teacher. Early years Born in Memphis, Mignon Dunn grew up in Tyronza, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee. She studied voice with Karin Branzel ...

David Fung David Fung (born 1983) is a concert pianist. Fung was born in Sydney, Australia. Early life and education Fung attended James Ruse Agricultural High School in Sydney, where he received the James Ruse Medal for Dux and the Medal for Music. He grad ...

* Andrew Gerle *

Midori Gotō , who performs under the mononym Midori, is a Japanese-born American violinist. She made her debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 11 as a surprise guest soloist at the New Year's Eve Gala in 1982. In 1986 her performance at the Tanglewood ...

Randy Graff Randy Graff (born May 23, 1955) is an American actress and singer. Early years Born in Brooklyn, New York on May 23, 1955, Graff was part of a musically oriented family. Her grandmother "was the lead soprano in temple", and her uncle sang with, ...

Horacio Gutiérrez Horacio Gutiérrez (born 1948) is a Cuban-American classical pianist known for his performances of works in the Romantic Repertoire. Early life and education When Fidel Castro gained control of Cuba in 1959, the family decided to leave the coun ...

Thomas Hampson Thomas Walter Hampson (born June 28, 1955) is an American lyric baritone, a classical singer who has appeared world-wide in major opera houses and concert halls and made over 170 musical recordings. Hampson's operatic repertoire spans a range ...

Stefon Harris Stefon DeLeon Harris (born March 23, 1973) is an American jazz vibraphonist. Biography A native of Albany, New York, Harris intended to work for the New York Philharmonic until he heard the music of Charlie Parker. During the 1990s he recorded ...

Vincent Herring Vincent Dwyne Herring (born November 19, 1964) is an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, composer, and educator. Known for his fiery and soulful playing in the bands of Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, and Nat Adderley in the earlier stages of h ...

Ingrid Jensen Ingrid Jensen (born January 12, 1966) is a Canadian jazz trumpeter. Music career Jensen was born in North Vancouver and grew up in Nanaimo. She received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating from Berklee, she ...

Yehuda Hyman Yehuda Hyman is an American playwright, dancer, choreographer, actor, and poet. Life and work Yehuda Hyman was born and raised in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from Poland and Russia. Hyman got his start in theater at age 17 in the chorus of ...

* Olga Kern * David Krakauer *

Dave Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received a ...

Joe Locke Joe William Locke (born 24 September 2003) is a Manx actor. He is known for his lead role as high school student Charlie Spring in the Netflix teen series '' Heartstopper'' (2022–present), for which he received a nomination for the inaugural ...

David Loud David Loud (born November 28, 1961, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American music supervisor, music director, conductor, vocal and dance arranger, pianist and actor. He is best known for his collaborations with and interpretations of the music of both ...

Spiro Malas Spiro Samuel Malas (January 28, 1933 – June 23, 2019) was a Greek- American bass-baritone opera singer and actor. The son of Greek immigrants Sam and Lillian Malas, he was born in Baltimore, MD January 28, 1933. The family owned Duffy's, a r ...

Catherine Malfitano Catherine Malfitano (born April 18, 1948) is an American operatic soprano and opera director. Malfitano was born in New York City, the daughter of a ballet dancer mother, Maria Maslova, and a violinist father, Joseph Malfitano. She attended the ...

Jim McNeely Jim McNeely (born May 18, 1949) is a jazz pianist, composer, arranger and faculty. Biography Jim McNeely was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois, and moved to New York City in 1975. ...

Bob Mintzer Robert Alan Mintzer (born January 27, 1953) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. Early life Mintzer was born and raised in a Jewish family in New Rochelle, New York, on January 27, 1953. He attended the Inte ...

* Jason Moran * James Morris *

Philippe Muller Philippe Muller (born 20 April 1946, in Mulhouse) is a French cellist. Biography Philippe Muller (born 20 April 1946, in Mulhouse) is a French cellist and pedagogue. His first contact with the cello was under the guidance of Dominique Prete, ...

Jonel Perlea Ionel Perlea (13 December 190029 July 1970) was a Romanian Conducting, conductor particularly associated with the Italian and German opera repertories. Biography Born Ionel Perlea to a Romanian father, Victor Perlea, and a German mother, Margar ...

* Neil Rosenshein *

Jaleel Shaw Jaleel Shaw (born February 11, 1978) is an American jazz alto saxophonist. Biography Raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Shaw attended Greene Street Friends School, the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts and graduate ...

Dayna Stephens Dayna Stephens (born August 1, 1978) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. In addition to leading his own group, Stephens has performed extensively with Kenny Barron, Ambrose Akinmusire, Taylor Eigsti, Julian Lage, Eric Harland, and G ...

Tazewell Thompson Tazewell Thompson is an American theatre director, the former artistic director of the Westport Country Playhouse (2006–07) in Westport, Connecticut and the Syracuse Stage (1992–95) in New York state. Prior to that he was an assistant direc ...

Mary Watson Weaver Mary Eliza Watson Weaver (January 16, 1903 – November 16, 1990) was an American composer, pianist, and poet who was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Life Mary received B.A. and B. M. degrees from Smith College (Massachusetts) and Ottawa Universi ...

Pinchas Zukerman Pinchas Zukerman (; born 16 July 1948) is an Israeli-American violinist, violist and conductor. Life and career Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv, to Jewish parents and Holocaust survivors Yehuda and Miriam Lieberman Zukerman. He began his musica ...

Students and alumni

* Annette A. Aguilar *

Ambrose Akinmusire Ambrose Olusiji Akinmusire ( born May 1, 1982) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and trumpeter. Biography Born and raised in Oakland, California, Akinmusire was a member of the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble, where he caught the atten ...

David Amram David Werner Amram III (born November 17, 1930) is an American composer, arranger, and conductor of orchestral, chamber, and choral works, many with jazz flavorings.

Franck Amsallem Franck Amsallem is a French-American jazz pianist, arranger, composer, singer and educator. He was born in 1961 in Oran, French Algeria, but grew up in Nice, France. Early years Amsallem was born in Oran (Algeria) to Elie Amsallem (1922-2019) an ...

* Aris Antoniades *

Robert Ashley Robert Reynolds Ashley (March 28, 1930 – March 3, 2014) was an American composer, who was best known for his television operas and other theatrical works, many of which incorporate electronics and extended techniques. His works often involve ...

Angelo Badalamenti Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American composer and arranger best known for his film music, notably the scores for his collaborations with director David Lynch, '' Blue Velvet'' (1986), ''Twin Peaks'' (1 ...

Jared Bernstein Jared Bernstein (born December 26, 1955) is an American government official who was the chair of the United States Council of Economic Advisers. He is a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. From 2009 to 2011, Bernstein was ...

* Judith Bettina *

Angela Bofill Angela Tomasa Bofill (May 2, 1954 – June 13, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter and composer of Cuban- Puerto Rican origins. A New York native, she began her professional career in the mid-1970s and is most known for singles such as " T ...

Luis Bonilla Luis Diego Bonilla (October 12, 1965) is an American jazz trombonist of Costa Rican descent. He is also a producer, composer, and educator. Biography Early life, musical education and influences Luis Bonilla was born and raised in Eagle Rock, ...

* Liam Bonner *

Linda Bouchard Linda Bouchard (born 21 May 1957) is a Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exi ...

Sara Davis Buechner Sara Davis Buechner (born 1959) is an American concert pianist and educator currently based in Newark, New Jersey. Career Buechner was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1959. She studied music with Veronika Wolf Cohen, Reynaldo Reyes, and Mieczys ...

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...

John-Michael Caprio John-Michael Caprio (July 1947 – December 25, 1997) was an American conductor and organist who served as the music director at St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan), St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City between 1990 and 1997. During his seven ...

* Andrea Carroll *

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy Awards, and is also a Cello, cellist who has reco ...

Marko Ciciliani Marko Ciciliani (born February 23, 1970) is a composer, audiovisual artist and performer. Life Marko Ciciliani (born 1970 in Zagreb, Croatia) is a composer and sound artist. His family emigrated to Germany in 1971, where he grew up primarily in ...

Harry Connick Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and former television host. As of 2019, he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling ma ...

Anton Coppola Antonio Francesco Coppola (March 21, 1917 – March 9, 2020) was an American opera conductor and composer. He was the uncle of film director Francis Ford Coppola, academic August Coppola, and actress Talia Shire, as well as the great-uncle of Ni ...

John Corigliano John Paul Corigliano (born February 16, 1938) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. With over 100 compositions, he has won accolades including a Pulitzer Prize, five Grammy Awards, Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, and a ...

Anthony Roth Costanzo Anthony Roth Costanzo (born 8 May 1982) is an American countertenor. He began his career in musical theater at the age of 11. Costanzo is a graduate of Princeton University and of the Manhattan School of Music. In 2012, he won first place at th ...

Jon Cowherd Jon Cowherd is an American pianist, composer, arranger, and record producer. Cowherd is most well known for his partnership with jazz drummer Brian Blade, with whom he co-founded the Brian Blade Fellowship. When not recording and touring with the ...

Joshua Coyne Joshua Coyne (born March 5, 1993) is an American musician and composer. Personal biography Joshua was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 5, 1993. He was adopted at the age of two and moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.Milk, Leslie"Rising Stars" ...

* Kim Crosby * Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz *

Sebastian Currier Sebastian Currier (born March 16, 1959) is an American composer of music for chamber groups and orchestras. He was also a professor of music at Columbia University from 1999 to 2007. Life Currier was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, and was ra ...

Marlon Daniel Marlon Daniel is an American composer, conductor, and music director. He is known for being a specialist in the music of Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Daniel was the winner of the 2009 John and Mary Virginia Foncannon Conducting Award, and a prizewi ...

Mark Delpriora Mark Delpriora (born 1959) is an American classical guitarist and composer. Delpriora is currently Chair of the Guitar Department at the Manhattan School of Music, where he has been on the faculty since 1989. Mark is also on the faculty of The J ...

Alondra de la Parra Alondra de la Parra (born 1980) is a Mexican conductor. Early life and education Alondra de la Parra was born in New York City, the daughter of Manelick de la Parra, a writer and editor, and Graciela Borja, a sociologist and educator. Her fat ...

* Josu de Solaun Soto *

Salvatore Di Vittorio Salvatore Di Vittorio (born 22 October 1967 in Palermo, Italy) is an Italian composer and conductor. He is the music director and conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of New York. Biography Introduced to music at an early age by his father, Di V ...

* Brian Doherty *

Edward Downes Sir Edward Thomas "Ted" Downes, CBE (17 June 1924 – 10 July 2009) was an English conductor, specialising in opera. He was associated with the Royal Opera House from 1952, and with Opera Australia from 1970. He was also well known for his ...

Steven Feifke Steven Feifke (born June 21, 1991) is an American jazz pianist, composer, orchestrator, and arranger. In 2023, Feifke became the youngest musician to win The Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble at The 65th Annual Grammy Awards. Early li ...

Ezio Flagello Ezio Domenico Flagello (January 28, 1931 – March 19, 2009) was an Italian American opera singer who sang at the Metropolitan Opera from 1957 to 1984. He was a bass singer particularly associated with the Italian language repertory. Career Fla ...

Nicolas Flagello Nicolas Oreste Flagello (March 15, 1928 – March 16, 1994) was an American composer and conductor of classical music. He was one of the last American composers to develop a distinctive mode of expression based wholly on the principles and techni ...

Kenneth R. Force Kenneth R. Force, Captain, USMS (March 24, 1940 – October 7, 2023) was band director of the United States Merchant Marine Academy Regimental Band from 1971 to 2016. The The New York Times, ''New York Times'' described him as "something of a To ...

* Sullivan Fortner *

Steve Gadd Stephen Kendall Gadd (born April 9, 1945) is an American jazz fusion drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and most highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction i ...

Kirill Gerstein Kirill Gerstein () (born 23 October 1979) is a Russian-American concert pianist. He is the sixth recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award. Born in the former Soviet Union, Gerstein is an American citizen based in Berlin. Between 2007-2017, he led p ...

Elliot Goldenthal Elliot Goldenthal (born May 2, 1954) is an American composer of contemporary classical music and film and theatrical scores. A student of Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, he is best known for his distinctive style and ability to blend variou ...

Susan Graham Susan Graham (born July 23, 1960) is an American mezzo-soprano. Life and career Susan Graham was born in Roswell, New Mexico on July 23, 1960. Raised in Midland, Texas, Graham is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Manhattan School of ...

Dave Grusin Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, incl ...

Page Hamilton Page Nye Hamilton (born May 18, 1960) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer who founded the American heavy metal band Helmet in 1989. In the 1990s, Helmet and Hamilton were forerunners of alternative metal with the al ...

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

* Edward W. Hardy *

Megan Marie Hart Megan Marie Hart (born 1983) is an American operatic soprano from Eugene, Oregon, performing in leading operatic roles and concerts in America and Europe. Life and education Hart was born in Santa Monica, California, and grew up in Eugene, Or ...

Miho Hazama is a Tokyo-born composer and jazz musician, based in New York City. Early life and career Miho Hazama started to play electric keyboard at the age of three at Yamaha Music Foundation's School, and received attention when she proceeded to the fi ...

Ian Hendrickson-Smith Ian Hendrickson-Smith (born February 10, 1974) is an American jazz saxophonist. He is best known for being a former member of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings from 2004 to 2010 and playing with The Roots on ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon''. ...

Shuler Hensley Shuler Paul Hensley (born March 6, 1967) is an American singer and actor. Early life Hensley was born in Atlanta, Georgia. The youngest of three children, Hensley grew up in Marietta, Georgia. His father, Sam P. Hensley Jr., is a former Georgia ...

Sara Hershkowitz Sara Hershkowitz (born 1980) is an American coloratura soprano, who made an international career based in Germany. She is known for roles in Mozart and Strauss operas, such as Konstanze, the Queen of the Night, Sophie and Zerbinetta, but also f ...

Margaret Hillis Margaret Eleanor Hillis (October 1, 1921, Kokomo, Indiana – February 5, 1998, Evanston, Illinois) was an American conductor. She was the founder and first director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus. Life Hillis was born in Kokomo, Indiana, in ...

Larry Hochman Larry Hochman (; born November 21, 1953) is an American orchestrator and composer. He has won four Emmy Awards for his original music on the TV series '' Wonder Pets!'' and a Tony Award for his orchestrations for ''The Book of Mormon''. Early l ...

Daniel Hoffman (violinist) Daniel Warren Hoffman () was an American-Israeli klezmer violinist, composer, and documentary film producer. He first heard klezmer music played on the piano by his father. Hoffman was the founder of the klezmer-jazz fusion ensemble, the Klez-X ...

* Jennifer Holloway *

Rupert Holmes Rupert Holmes (born David Goldstein; February 24, 1947) is a British-American composer, singer-songwriter, dramatist and author. He is widely known for the hit singles " Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" (1979) and " Him" (1980). He is also know ...

* Lisa Hopkins * Paul Horn *

Helen Huang Helen Huang (; born October 1982) is an American classical pianist. She began studying piano in 1987, performing and touring with major symphony orchestras. Musical career Huang was born in Ibaraki, Japan, to Taiwanese parents. Her family moved ...

Lauren Jelencovich Lauren Jelencovich (born November 13, 1984)Lauren D Jelencovich in the U.S., Index to Public Records, 1994-2019 is an American singer. While in high school, Jelencovich won the grand prize on Ed McMahon's ''Next Big Star,'' McMahon's successor ...

Aaron M. Johnson Aaron Michael Johnson (born June 9, 1991) is an American jazz saxophonist, writer and performance artist. Early life Aaron Johnson began expressing interest in music at a young age. While he could play music fluently by the age of 13, he still ...

* Scott Joiner *

Hyung-ki Joo Hyung-ki Joo () is a Korean-British pianist, composer, comedian and one half of the comedy-musical duo Igudesman & Joo. Billy Joel chose Joo to arrange and record his classical piano pieces for the album '' Fantasies & Delusions''. It was rec ...

* Margaret Juntwait * Marina Kamen *

Aaron Jay Kernis Aaron Jay Kernis (born January 15, 1960) is a Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning American composer serving as a member of the Yale School of Music faculty. Kernis spent 15 years as the music advisor to the Minnesota Orchestra and as direct ...

Dawn Kotoski Dawn Kotoski (born 1966) is an American operatic soprano who has a substantial international opera career. She began her career at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City during the late 1980s singing lighter lyric soprano and soubrette roles. She ...

* Dominic Lalli * Ben Lanzarone *

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in the United States. Although Lateef's main i ...

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

Jose Llana Jose Llana (born 5 May 1976) is a Filipino-American singer and actor best known for originating roles in the Broadway musicals ''The King and I'' (1996), ''Flower Drum Song'' (2002), '' Here Lies Love'' (2023), and ''The 25th Annual Putnam Cou ...

Ursula Mamlok Ursula Mamlok ( Meyer; February 1, 1923 – May 4, 2016) was a German-born American composer and teacher. Education and influences Mamlok was born as Ursula Meyer in Berlin, Germany, into a Jewish family, and studied piano and composition with Pr ...

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz Flute, flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet ...

Kit McClure Kit McClure (born 1951) is a jazz musician, bandleader of the all-female big band Kit McClure Band and founder of the Women in Jazz Project. In 2004, she started a project to revive interest in the all-female big band, International Sweetheart ...

Bob McGrath Robert Emmett McGrath (June 13, 1932 – December 4, 2022) was an American actor, singer, and children's author best known for playing original human character and music teacher Bob Johnson on the educational television series ''Sesame Street' ...

Nellie McKay Eleanora Marie McKay (born April 13, 1982) is an English–American singer and songwriter. She made her Broadway debut in ''The Threepenny Opera#United States 2, The Threepenny Opera'' (2006). Early life and education McKay was born in London ...

* Johanna Meier * Motswedi Modiba *

Jane Monheit Jane Monheit (born November 3, 1977"Jane Monheit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 33. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2001. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 2017-05-07.) is an American jazz and traditional pop singer. Early life Mo ...

Brian Michael Moore Brian Michael Moore is an American operatic tenor, based at the Oper Frankfurt. He has performed leading roles in the United States and Europe, including Remendado in Bizet's ''Carmen'' in Los Angeles, Mozart's Don Ottavio in ''Don Giovanni'' at t ...

Rob Moose Rob Moose (born 1982) is an American multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, conductor, and orchestrator. He primarily plays the violin, viola, and guitar. Early life and education Moose was born in 1982. He was raised in Windsor, Connec ...

* Carmen Moral * Jason Moran *

Walter Murphy Walter Anthony Murphy Jr. (born December 19, 1952) is an American composer, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for the instrumental " A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony which topp ...

Max Neuhaus Max Neuhaus (August 9, 1939 – February 3, 2009) was an American musician, composer and artist who was a noted interpreter of contemporary and experimental percussion music in the 1960s. He went on to create numerous permanent and short-term so ...

Elmar Oliveira Elmar Oliveira (born June 28, 1950) is an American violinist. Early life The son of Portuguese immigrants, Elmar Oliveira was born in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Oliveira was nine when he began studying the violin with his brother John. At age 16 h ...

Simon O'Neill Simon O'Neill (born 1971) is a New Zealand operatic tenor internationally recognised for his performances of the major Heldentenor roles in the operas of Richard Wagner. Biography Simon O'Neill has performed with many of the world’s leading ...

Shahab Paranj Dr. Shahab Paranj (Persian شهاب پارنج) (born April 17, 1983, Tehran) is an Iranian-American composer and instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He is considered one of the pioneers among his generation of composers whose composition st ...

Marcus Paus Marcus Nicolay Paus (; born 14 October 1979) is a Norwegian composer and one of the most performed contemporary Scandinavian composers. As a classical contemporary composer he is noted as a representative of a reorientation toward tradition, tonal ...

William Pell William Pell may refer to: * William Pell (tenor), American opera singer * William Pell (minister), English nonconformist minister * William Pell (footballer), English footballer * William Ferris Pell William Ferris Pell (September 1779 – Octobe ...

Leo Pellegrino Leonardo Antonio Pellegrino, also known as Leo P, is an American baritone saxophonist from Pittsburgh who is based in New York City. He is a member of the "brass house" band Too Many Zooz and former member of the Lucky Chops brass band. He is ...

* Meghan Picerno *

Tobias Picker Tobias Picker (born July 18, 1954) is an American composer, pianist, and Conductor (music), conductor, noted for his orchestral works ''Old and Lost Rivers'', ''Keys To The City (orchestral work), Keys To The City'', and ''The Encantadas (orches ...

* Kariné Poghosyan * Chris Potter *

Charlie Puth Charles Otto Puth Jr. (; born December 2, 1991) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His initial exposure came through the viral success of his cover (music), song covers uploaded to YouTube. Puth signed with the record labe ...

John Bernard Riley John Bernard Riley (born June 11, 1954) is an American jazz drummer and educator. He has performed with Woody Herman, Stan Getz, Milt Jackson, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Scofield, Bob Mintzer, Gary Peacock, Mike Stern, Joe Lovano, Franck ...

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

* Larry Rosen *

Don Sebesky Donald John Sebesky (December 10, 1937 – April 29, 2023) was an American composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz trombonist. He was a multi-instrumentalist and could play a number of other instruments: keyboards, electric piano, organ, accord ...

Toyin Spellman-Diaz Toyin Spellman-Diaz is an American List of oboists, oboist. She grew up in Washington, D.C. where she found a love for classical music through her parents' immense record collection. Spellman-Diaz is known for her significant solo work and orches ...

Lynn Strongin Lynn Strongin (born February 27, 1939) is an American poet currently residing in Canada who has published more than two dozen books. A pioneering writer on issues of feminism and disability, her poetry and other writings have appeared in a large ...

Richard Tee Richard Edward Tee (born Richard Edward Ten Ryk; November 24, 1943 – July 21, 1993) was an American jazz fusion pianist, studio musician, singer and arranger, who had several hundred studio credits and played on such notable hits as " I'll B ...

Jonathan Tetelman Jonathan Tetelman (born 1988) is an American operatic tenor who has established an international career, especially in Europe, in such roles as Alfredo in Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata, the title role in Jules Massenets Werther, Rodolfo in Giacomo ...

* Natalie Toro *

Joseph Trapanese Joseph Trapanese (born 7 August 1984) is an American composer, arranger, and producer. He works in the production of music for films, television, records, theater, concerts, and interactive media. Early life and education Raised in Jersey City ...

* Sarah Traubel *

Art Tripp Arthur Dyer Tripp III (born September 10, 1944) is an American retired musician who is best known for his work as a percussionist with the original version of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention during the 1960s and Captain Beefheart and ...

* Gordon Turk * Marilyn Tyler *

Dawn Upshaw Dawn Upshaw (born July 17, 1960) is an American soprano. She is the recipient of several Grammy Awards and has released a number of Edison Award-winning discs; she performs both opera and art song, and her repertoire spans Baroque to contempo ...

David Van Tieghem David Van Tieghem (born April 21, 1955) is an American composer, percussionist and sound designer, best known for his philosophy of utilizing any available object as a percussion instrument and for his collaborations with the experimental artists ...

Dirk Weiler Dirk Weiler is a Germans, German actor and singer. Biography Dirk Weiler is a German-born actor/singer. He showed an interest in the performing arts from a very early age on. He participated in school and community theatre productions. Dirk ...

Joe Wilder Joseph Benjamin Wilder (February 22, 1922 – May 9, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Wilder was awarded the Temple University Jazz Master's Hall of Fame Award in 2006. The National Endowment for the Arts honored h ...

Bernie Williams Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. (born September 13, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player and current musician. He played his entire 16-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees from 1991 through ...

* Carol Williams * Richard Williams *

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began t ...

Yung Wook Yoo Yung Wook Yoo (born December 27, 1977) is a South Korean pianist, winner of the Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition. Biography Born in Seoul on December 27, 1977, Yoo started studying piano in South Korea and then moved t ...

Rolande Maxwell Young Rolande Maxwell Young Schrade (September 13, 1927 – January 19, 2015) was born in Washington, D.C. She was an American composer, pianist, teacher, and the matriarch of a musical family with five children. After studying at Catholic University, sh ...

Dolora Zajick Dolora Zajick (born 24 March 1952) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer who specializes in the Verdian repertoire. Zajick has been described as having "one of the greatest voices in the history of opera". Early life Born in Salem, Oregon, ...

Miguel Zenón Miguel Zenón (born December 30, 1976) is a Puerto Rican alto saxophonist, composer, band leader, music producer, and educator. He is a Grammy Award winner, the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a MacArthur Fellowship, and a Doris Duke Artis ...

References

External links

* * {{authority control 1917 establishments in New York City Education in Harlem Morningside Heights, Manhattan Music schools in New York (state) Music schools in New York City Private universities and colleges in New York City Universities and colleges established in 1917 Universities and colleges in Manhattan Universities and colleges in New York City