Northwestern University’s Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music ranks as one of the nation’s leading music institutions.
For more than a century, the Bienen School has offered a unique combination of conservatory-level musical training with the academic rigor of a top-tier research institution. Through exceptional training and dedicated, collaborative teaching, Bienen faculty prepare students to excel in the ever-changing music world and forge new paths in both the performance and academic arenas.
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 artists, scholars, and arts advocates
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 music 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.
See 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. Allowing students to explore and study areas outside of music with the same level of rigor reinforces cross-disciplinary thinking and prepares students for greater success as musicians and as music advocates whose career paths may take them in different directions.
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