Perform at the Highest Level
- Professional-level training
- Distinguished artist faculty
- Innovative music industry programs and performance opportunities
- Preparation for prestigious graduate programs worldwide
Ensembles
Music Programs
Music at Shenandoah
- 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, are educators and therapists, and respected creatives
Music News
Celebrating 50 Years of Music Therapy at Shenandoah Conservatory
This year, Shenandoah Conservatory students, faculty and alumni join together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the music therapy program, which launched in September 1974. It is the oldest music therapy program in Virginia and one of the oldest ... Continue Reading Celebrating 50 Years of Music…
Mustakimov ’26 Wins First Prize at Johannes Brahms International Piano Competition
Pianist Timur Mustakimov ’26 (Artist Diploma) was awarded first prize at the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Austria. Along with a generous cash prize, he has also been offered concerts in Austria (including the Vienna Festival), Prague ... Continue Reading Mustakimov ’26 Wins First Prize…
Payne ’79 Honored as 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Jerilynn Payne ’79 (Bachelor of Music Therapy) was announced as one of Shenandoah University’s 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients in the category of Service to the Community. She joins Barbara McWhinney ’66 & ’94 (Health Professions), ... Continue Reading Payne ’79 Honored as 2024…
Music Alumni
Hardwick ’21, ’22 to Conduct Munich Radio Orchestra in Landmark ‘Let’s Play’ Video Game Concert
Acclaimed American conductor J. Aaron Hardwick ’21, ’22 (Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting, Graduate Certificate in Esports Management) is set to lead the Münchner Rundfunkorchester (Munich Radio Orchestra) in a pioneering concert dedicated to ... Continue Reading Hardwick ’21, ’22 to Conduct…
Payne ’79 Honored as 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Jerilynn Payne ’79 (Bachelor of Music Therapy) was announced as one of Shenandoah University’s 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients in the category of Service to the Community. She joins Barbara McWhinney ’66 & ’94 (Health Professions), ... Continue Reading Payne ’79 Honored as 2024…
Brooke ’17 Returns to Winchester to Perform at The Monument with Guitarist
Natalie Brooke ’17 (Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies) returns to Winchester on Friday, Sept. 6, to headline a performance at The Monument. She is touring in Washington, D.C.; Winchester, Virginia; and Asheville, North Carolina; with guitarist Isaac ... Continue Reading Brooke ’17 Returns to Winchester…
Music Faculty
Active, supportive, 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
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.