The Bienen School of Music educates exceptional students in an environment that values both musical and academic excellence.
To achieve this mission, the school enrolls a highly selective student body of outstanding musicians who also meet Northwestern’s competitive academic standards. Undergraduate and graduate programs provide a depth and breadth of musical study to equip students with a continuing capacity to grow in their musicianship and to adapt to evolving professional demands.
Renowned faculty, unparalleled facilities, and close proximity to the vibrant cultural offerings of Chicago provide ideal learning conditions both in and out of the classroom. Students can discover and explore their broader interests with the resources and opportunities found only at a top-ranked research university.
The school’s faculty are actively engaged in expanding knowledge about music through their research and enriching the world with their artistry. Through world-class training and dedicated, collaborative teaching, Bienen faculty prepare students to be artists, scholars, educators, and arts advocates.
Jonathan Bailey Holland
Dean and Kay Davis Professor of Music
Located
12 miles
North of Downtown Chicago
400
Concerts and events per year
Founded In
1895
One of the oldest degree-granting music schools in the nation
The Bienen School’s beginnings date to 1873, when the Northwestern Female College and the Evanston College for Ladies were incorporated into the Northwestern University Woman’s College. This new institution established the Conservatory of Music, and in 1891 Peter Christian Lutkin was named its director. In 1895 it became the School of Music, with Lutkin serving as its first dean.
400
Undergraduate Students
200
Graduate Students
125
full and part-time faculty
Preparing Tomorrow’s Artist-Scholars
The Bienen School of Music combines a nationally ranked music program of conservatory-level intensity with the academic rigor and scholarly resources found only at an elite private research university. Additionally, the world-class music making and other cultural resources of downtown Chicago provide exceptional opportunities for learning outside the classroom.
State-of-the-art Facilities
Opened in 2015, the stunning Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts provides stellar resources to Bienen School students. Located adjacent to the Pick-Staiger Concert Hall and Regenstein Hall of Music, the building features three performances venues as well as teaching studios, faculty and administrative offices, choral and orchestral libraries, and numerous classrooms and practice rooms that boast superior acoustics and scenic views.
Explore our Facilities
134
Practice rooms
5
Dual Degree Programs
2,000
Applicants for each year's class of 200 students
19
winners of the school’s international prizes
Conservatory-level training within a major research university
The Bienen School of Music exemplifies Northwestern’s distinctive combination of outstanding achievement in scholarship and the arts. With more than 2,000 applicants for each year’s class of only 200 undergraduate and graduate students, the Bienen School is significantly more selective than most of our peer institutions.
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