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
Internationally Acclaimed Guitarists Perform at Shenandoah Guitar Festival
Sharon Isbin • Colin Davin • Jocelyn Gould • Rafael Padrón • ArcoStrum
Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning classical guitarist Sharon Isbin will headline the second Shenandoah Guitar Festival, held from Friday, June 27, through Sunday, June 29 at Shenandoah…
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Ruane ’27 Awarded 2025 William Averitt Prize for Excellence in Composition
Erik Ruane ’27 (Bachelor of Music in Composition) was awarded the 2025 William Averitt Prize for Excellence in Composition for his wind ensemble work, “Hymn…
Continue reading Ruane ’27 Awarded 2025 William…
Music Therapy Program Commemorates 50 Years of Innovation and Academic Excellence
Shenandoah Conservatory’s music therapy program celebrated a major milestone this year, commemorating 50 years of innovation and academic excellence with a two-day event for alumni,…
Continue reading Music Therapy Program Commemorates 50…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
String Students Earn Spots in Distinguished Graduate and Summer Programs
Violinist Nicholas Whitley ’25 (Bachelor of Music in Performance) has been accepted as a teaching assistant at University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. He…
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Ilyes ’24 Appointed Visiting Assistant Professor of Violin at Longwood University
Emily Ilyes ’24 (Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance) was appointed visiting assistant professor of violin at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. She will teach…
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Twelve PALM Students Present Research at SURE
Pictured from left to right: Megan Behm, Rebecca Hopkins, Raquel Johnson, Madeleine Kee, Molly Miller and Naythen B. Rinehart Twelve performing arts leadership and management…
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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.