The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private

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 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 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 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 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 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, 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 * Raymond Beegle * Gabriela Beňačková * John Carisi *

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 * Mignon Dunn * David Fung * Andrew Gerle * Midori Gotō * Randy Graff * Horacio Gutiérrez * Thomas Hampson * Stefon Harris * Vincent Herring * Ingrid Jensen * Yehuda Hyman * 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 * David Loud * Spiro Malas * Catherine Malfitano * Jim McNeely * Bob Mintzer * Jason Moran * James Morris * Philippe Muller * Jonel Perlea * Neil Rosenshein * Jaleel Shaw * Dayna Stephens * Tazewell Thompson * Mary Watson Weaver * Pinchas Zukerman

Students and alumni

* Annette A. Aguilar * Ambrose Akinmusire * David Amram * Franck Amsallem * Aris Antoniades * Robert Ashley * Angelo Badalamenti * Jared Bernstein * Judith Bettina * Angela Bofill * Luis Bonilla * Liam Bonner * Linda Bouchard * Sara Davis Buechner *

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 * 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 *

* Harry Connick Jr. * Anton Coppola * John Corigliano * Anthony Roth Costanzo * Jon Cowherd * Joshua Coyne * Kim Crosby * Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz * Sebastian Currier *

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 * Alondra de la Parra * Josu de Solaun Soto * Salvatore Di Vittorio * Brian Doherty * Edward Downes * Steven Feifke * Ezio Flagello * Nicolas Flagello * Kenneth R. Force * 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 *

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 *

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 * Stefon Harris * Megan Marie Hart * Miho Hazama * Ian Hendrickson-Smith * Shuler Hensley * Sara Hershkowitz * Margaret Hillis * Larry Hochman * Daniel Hoffman (violinist) * Jennifer Holloway * Rupert Holmes * Lisa Hopkins * Paul Horn * Helen Huang * Lauren Jelencovich * Aaron M. Johnson * Scott Joiner * Hyung-ki Joo * Margaret Juntwait * Marina Kamen * Aaron Jay Kernis * Dawn Kotoski * 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 * Catherine Malfitano * Ursula Mamlok *

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 * Bob McGrath *

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 * Brian Michael Moore * Rob Moose * 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 * Elmar Oliveira *

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 *

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 * Leo Pellegrino * 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 * John Bernard Riley *

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 * Toyin Spellman-Diaz * Lynn Strongin * Richard Tee * Jonathan Tetelman * Natalie Toro * Joseph Trapanese * Sarah Traubel * Art Tripp * Gordon Turk * Marilyn Tyler * Dawn Upshaw * David Van Tieghem * Dirk Weiler * Joe Wilder *

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 * Yung Wook Yoo * Rolande Maxwell Young * Dolora Zajick * Miguel Zenón

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