Peabody Institute

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Peabody Institute, c. 1902
Peabody Institute, c. 1902
Peabody Library
Peabody Library

The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a conservatory and preparatory school located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at the corner of Charles and Monument Streets at Mount Vernon Place. The Peabody Conservatory of Music, one of the divisions of the Institute, is considered one of the leading music conservatories in the world, boasting a renowned faculty and students from across the globe.

Contents

[edit] History

Founded in 1857 by philanthropist George Peabody, it was the first academy of music to be established in the United States. Completion of the Grecian-Italian building housing the Institute, designed by Edmund G. Lind, was delayed until 1866 due to the Civil War.[1] Under the direction of well-known musicians, composers, conductors, and Peabody alumni, the Institute grew from a local academy to an internationally renowned cultural center throughout the late 19th and the 20th centuries.

Since 1977, the Institute has operated as a division of the Johns Hopkins University, which is popularly thought of as one of America’s top universities. Because of this affiliation, Peabody students are exposed to a liberal arts curriculum that is more extensive than those of other leading conservatories; likewise, Hopkins students have access to a world-class musical education and experience that they normally would not have access to at another university of such stature.

Peabody is one of 156 schools in the U.S. that offer a Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree. It houses two important libraries: the historical George Peabody Library established when the institute opened in 1866, and the Arthur Friedheim Library, a music library includes more than 100,000 books, scores, and sound recordings.

[edit] Peabody Children's Chorus

The Peabody Children's chorus is for children ages 6-19. It is divided into 3 groups: Training Choir, Choristers, and Chamber Singers, grouped by age in ascending order. They practice every week, and sing in concerts biannually, under the instruction of Doreen Falby, Bradley Permenter, and Chris Chadderton. The Chamber Singers, ages 12-18, often perform with other music groups, such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society.

[edit] Notable alumni

  • Tori Amos - An American pianist and singer-songwriter. At age five, she was the youngest person ever to attend the school.
  • Kevin Kenner - American-born pianist who is notable for winning both the Top Prize in the International Chopin Competition and the Bronze Medal in the International Tchaikovsky Competition.
  • Dominick Argento - A leading composer of lyric opera and choral music.[1]
  • Awadagin Pratt - Renowned concert pianist and violinist; Winner of the prestigious Walter W. Naumburg Foundation Competition.
  • Virgil Fox - Organist.[2]
  • Ellis Larkins - First African American to attend.[3]
  • Denoe Leedy - lassical pianist, music educator and music journalist.
  • Carolyn Long - Opera singer
  • Tommy Newsom - Saxophonist for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson[4]
  • Lillian Smith - Author and social critic. (two stints, not a degree)[5]
  • James Morris - World famous Wagnerian Baritone, Grammy winner and Metropolitan Opera Star.
  • Phillip Glass - (Prep.) World famous composer of opera and contemporary music.
  • Andre Watts - World renowned Concert Pianist, Grammy winner and Professor of Music at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
  • Richard Cassilly - His generation's leading interpreter of Wagnerian Tenor repertoire.
  • Martha Clarke - choreographer and director; studied dance in the preparatory department at Peabody.
  • Kevin Hekmatpanah - First cellist to earn a DMA from Peabody. Music Director at Gonzaga University. Conductor, performer and teacher.
  • Hye-Jeon Kim - A world-class flutist

[edit] Faculty

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wierzalis, Bill and Koontz, John P., Images of America: Mount Vernon Place (2006) p. 60-61. Arcadia Publishing ISBN 0-7385-4238-5

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Johns Hopkins University
Academics
Campus and Buildings
History
Publications
Sports
Student Life