Conservatory at a Glance

Young musicians from nearly every state across America and dozens of countries receive world-class training from our outstanding faculty of artist-teachers. You’ll study and perform in superior facilities and discover passions that will sustain you throughout your professional life. Find out why we were awarded the prestigious National Medal of Arts.

String players seated in a circle receiving instruction.
Master classes are a regular feature of conservatory life. Here, two members of The Cleveland Orchestra instruct a quartet during the winter-term Chamber Music Intensive.
Photo credit: Scott Shaw

Facts at a Glance

6:1 student/faculty ratio
540 conservatory students
180+ double-degree students
42 areas of private study
30+ student ensembles
11 performance venues
500 performances per year
1877 became all-Steinway school
1 music library
150 practice rooms
1 recording label distributed internationally
240+ Steinways
1,500 instruments for student use
32 organs
12 Conservatory special collections
1865 conservatory established
2009 National Medal of Arts awarded
440 acres on campus
136,000 sound recordings
150,000 music scores
$5 rent artwork
4 Conservatory alumni MacArthur ‘‘genius’’ fellows
5 environmentally sustainable buildings
13 organ practice rooms
5 electronic music studios
100% demonstrated need met
4 campus libraries
2 competitive project grant programs (FIG and XARTS)
6 interdisciplinary minors and concentrations
100,000 jazz recordings in Neumann Collection
$10,000 minimum annual merit award
6,900 instruments, books, scores in Selch Collection of American Music History
12 number of students awarded FIG and XARTS grants annually

Meet the Class of 2024

Oberlin’s first-year enrolling students come to us from 44 states and 41 countries.

See Class of 2024 Profile

Faculty

Our internationally renowned faculty are dedicated teachers and communicative artists. They spend generous hours teaching lessons, coaching ensembles, and providing close mentorship. Individual instruction is tailored to the particular needs of each student.

“I think that there’s a new understanding that we are all humans and we can do our best work if we take care of ourselves and if we take care of each other, and I am happy to be teaching from that perspective.”

Katherine Jolly, Associate Professor of Voice

See Profile

Explore Faculty in Oberlin Conservatory of Music

Notable Oberlin Alumni

Robert Spano ’84

Conductor

Jennifer Koh ’97

Violinist

Theo Croker ’07

Jazz trumpet

Additional Resources

Instruments

Passionate about jazz guitar, vocal performance, chamber music, or electronic soundscapes? Sharpen your focus while broadening your sense of what’s possible.

Oberlin Facts and Outcomes

Learn more about Oberlin’s students, both while they are here and beyond.

Tuition & Fees

We’re committed to making the conservatory accessible to exceptional musicians—more than 90 percent of our students receive merit-based scholarships.

Get Involved

students dressed in costumes for opera show.

Cultural Life

Choose from more than 500 (mostly free) concerts each year, including 25 student ensembles, and two opera theater productions—or tour one of the top college museums in the country.

students lined up outside library singing.

Clubs

Student clubs aren’t just for fun. Spanning music, social justice, faith, identity, politics, sports, and art, clubs are an essential part of your Oberlin education.

music students sitting with instruments preparing to play.

Community Engagement

Teach fellow Obies how to play an instrument, work with our on-campus record label, DJ a special event, or browse available gigs in the area.

Conservatory Facilities

With eleven performance spaces, 150 naturally lit practice rooms, 240-plus Steinway pianos, and a world-class recording studio, you’ll have everything you need to excel.

On StageConservatory ComplexTake a 360° Tour
Guest artist Billy Childs coaches jazz ensemble. Photo by Dale Preston.