Music
Pursue Your Passion for Music at Shenandoah Conservatory
Perform at the Highest Level
Shenandoah Conservatory helps you perform at the highest level on the stage, in the classroom, at the clinic, behind the scenes and more.
- Professional-level training
- Distinguished artist faculty
- Innovative music industry programs and performance opportunities
- Preparation for prestigious graduate programs worldwide
Music Programs
Ensembles
Shenandoah Conservatory is home to more than twenty instrumental, choral and dance ensembles presenting numerous performances each year. Most ensembles are open (by audition) to all Shenandoah University students, regardless of degree.
Music at Shenandoah
Classes and private lessons with expert performers, educators and clinicians
- Programs span the music industry
- Unique programs in jazz/commercial music and contemporary music/entrepreneurship
- Virginia’s oldest music therapy program
- Highly regarded music education program
- Students accepted by respected programs as the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall, Aspen Music Festival, The Pierre Monteux School, Adamant and the Idyllwild Summer Program
- Alumni perform in symphony orchestra and opera companies worldwide and serve as educators, therapists, and respected creatives in their communities
Music News
Shenandoah Guitar Festival Receives Augustine Foundation Grant
Funds Help Conservatory Present Event Filled With World-Class Artists, Masterclasses & Workshops
The Shenandoah Guitar Festival, presented by Shenandoah Conservatory, has received grant funding from the Augustine Foundation for the third consecutive year. The $13,000 grant helps…
Continue reading Shenandoah Guitar Festival Receives Augustine…
Commercial Rock Ensemble and Studio Big Band Perform Across Spain and Portugal on GEL Trip
The Shenandoah Conservatory Commercial Rock Ensemble and Studio Big Band traveled to Spain and Portugal earlier this month as part of a Global Experiential Learning…
Continue reading Commercial Rock Ensemble and Studio…
Shenandoah Conservatory Hosts Los Angeles-based Activist Dance Theater Company CONTRA-TIEMPO for Weeklong Residency
Shenandoah Conservatory is proud to host Los Angeles-based activist dance theater company CONTRA-TIEMPO for a dynamic creative residency this month. Known for their bold, multilingual…
Continue reading Shenandoah Conservatory Hosts Los Angeles-based…Music Faculty
Shenandoah Conservatory faculty are active, supportive and masters of their craft.
- Passionate about the art of teaching
- Sought after as soloists, guest artists, and expert clinicians worldwide
- Highly engaged in their fields with deep networks
- In residence at prestigious summer festivals
- Experience ranging from performing at the Metropolitan Opera to conducting Grammy Award-winning choirs, composing music and serving on international competition juries
Music Alumni News
Handelsman ’20 Appointed Assistant Professor at Wake Forest University
Mathilde Handelsman ’20 (Doctor of Music Arts in Performance) was recently appointed assistant professor of piano performance at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina,…
Continue reading Handelsman ’20 Appointed Assistant Professor…
Pearson ’25 Conducts Research in Roy Pain Lab at McGill University
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Pearson ’25 (Bachelor of Music Therapy) recently conducted research at McGill University in Canada as a member of the Roy Pain Lab, working…
Continue reading Pearson ’25 Conducts Research in…
Hawkins ’27 Sings National Anthem at Denver Nuggets Basketball Game in Colorado
Donnie Hawkins ’27 (Bachelor of Music in Performance – Voice) will sing the national anthem for the Denver Nuggets NBA team’s game versus the San Antonio…
Continue reading Hawkins ’27 Sings National Anthem…
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 features a wide variety of exciting, innovative and provocative performances, presentations, roundtable discussions and other special events.
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.