Facts at a Glance
Beginnings
Founded in 1915, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the first conservatorium in Australia, was based on the model of the European Conservatoire. Its establishment revolutionised Australian music training where comprehensive performance-led teaching, virtuosity and music education were made available to musicians aged 5 to 90.
By 1916 Henri Verbrugghen, founding Director, initiated the first quartet in residence and the first state funded orchestra in Australia.
The Conservatorium’s most famous chief for a decade from 1946 to 1956, the outstanding conductor and composer Eugene Goosens, emphasised the alliance between the Conservatorium and the new orchestras and ensembles of Australia. He also proved courageous and persistent in his unending campaign for an opera house and performance facility at Bennelong Point.
The first opera series in Australia began at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Several of Australia’s most prominent ensembles evolved from student projects at the Conservatorium: Australian Brandenburg Orchestra; Australian Chamber Orchestra; and Musica Viva successfully launched their first chamber music series in the Verbrugghen Hall.
In 1990, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music amalgamated with the University of Sydney, but it was only in 2005 when the Music Department and the Conservatorium united. Now a unified research institution, research and the advancement of knowledge are integrally linked to teaching and performance.
Curriculum
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music curriculum is widely respected as one of Australasia’s most comprehensive institutions for musical studies, offering degrees in Performance, Composition, Jazz, Music Education, Musicology, Conducting and Pedagogy each year with emerging fields of Audio and Media, Early Music, Piano Tuning and orchestral/ensemble professional preparation.
In 2007, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music enrolled 801 full-time tertiary students, and 2000 pre-tertiary students from 22 nations and all states of Australia. Approximately 350 teachers and administration staff are employed in full-time, part-time and temporary positions.
SCM encourages part-time graduate enrolments, and research students account for nearly 20% percent of all students. The Open Academy, one of the largest and most outstanding programs in the world hosts close to 1300 pre-tertiary students, many of whom continue successfully into tertiary music study and the profession.
Concerts and recital programs
Throughout their study, students are encouraged to perform in concerts in Sydney, across NSW and internationally (Asia, Europe and the United States).
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music presents over 450 recitals and concerts each year. Our extensive concert calendar includes Monday Evening Cocktail Hour Recitals, Wednesday Lunch Break Concerts, Sensational Sunday recitals by faculty, guest artists and students, and a range of performances by two orchestras, baroque ensemble, contemporary music ensemble, jazz ensembles, wind band, two choirs, Opera and Renaissance Players.
The Opera unit has given more than 600 performances of over 150 different operas in five languages. Each year three operas are presented in the Music Workshop, an acoustically-refined concert hall with technical capabilities unequalled in any other Australian university facility.
Location and facilities
The Conservatorium is housed in the former stables and servants’ quarters of the Governor’s residence. Francis Greenway designed the building set in the Botanic Gardens on Sydney Harbour, within the CBD and now in view of Sydney’s world-renowned Opera House and the Harbour Bridge in the heart of the cultural precinct of Sydney. Additional offices are housed at the Seymour Theatre, close to the main campus of the University of Sydney.
The 2001 refurbishment of the Conservatorium created one of the more interesting buildings in Sydney, a fascinating combination of the early history of New South Wales and late twentieth century architecture. Daryl Jackson Robin Dyke Architects/NSW Government, and Kierkegard, acoustician, designed world-class facilities including more than 100 offices, 53 teaching studios, 63 practice rooms, 140 pianos, choral and instrumental rehearsal rooms, three recital/ lecture halls, two major concert halls, a library with 100,000 scores, 30,000 books, 12,000 CDs/DVDs, 12,000 vinyl recordings, print/electronic journals, microfilms and internet streaming.
Musically, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music is second to none in Australia, and is ranked number one in the University of Sydney for Learning and Teaching scores. It is the only faculty to host two Fulbright scholars. Our graduates can be found leading and performing in major orchestras, in the top-ranking opera houses, concert halls and educational institutions in Australasia, Europe and North America.
Kim Walker
Dean & Principal