Double Degree Program

Letter From the Associate Director

Dear Prospective Student,

Thank you for considering The Bard College Conservatory of Music. We are tremendously excited about this program, and I want to share our excitement with you. When I applied to college, I was looking primarily for two things. I was seeking a place where I could become a better performing musician through the guidance of outstanding teachers and through interactions with excellent fellow students. I also wanted a place where I could freely explore my various intellectual interests. As a curious person, I saw the opportunity to expand my horizons and broaden my mind as tremendously exciting.

At The Bard College Conservatory you will have the unique opportunity to become the best musician and the best thinker you can be. You will find that the musical training you receive from your teacher and the liberal arts courses the College offers will not only complement each other but will inspire the work that you do in all areas. The full resources of the College, including the faculty, libraries, and, most important, the other students, are fully available while you explore the fields that interest you most.

The musical education here at the Conservatory equals or surpasses that of any other music school. Every member of our faculty is an internationally renowned performing artist and teacher dedicated to the idea of a musician as a well-educated and thinking individual. The students in the Conservatory are equally inspiring--they are among the most talented instrumentalists and composers in the world and have enthusiastically embraced the musical and academic challenges of the program.

One of the most valuable learning experiences for a musician is the process of preparing for and participating in public performances. To that end, we provide numerous facilities for public performances at Bard, from Olin Hall to the new Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. The Conservatory also seeks out and sponsors other performances at venues in New York City and around the world. Students at the Conservatory will have the opportunity to play alongside faculty members in many of these concerts. In the past year alone, Conservatory students have performed in New York, Connecticut, China, and Russia; this year students will perform at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.; Music Mountain in Connecticut; New York City, and other venues, in addition to the many concerts at Bard College.

I hope that as you look through the website and other materials from the Bard Conservatory you will think about what kind of education you want to receive in college. I'm confident that the Bard College Conservatory is the place where you will be best able to maximize both your musical and intellectual potential.

Melvin Chen, Associate Director
The Bard College Conservatory of Music