Bard Conservatory

Music, like all art, engages the mind and the heart.

The mission of the Bard College Conservatory of Music is to provide the best possible preparation for a person dedicated to a life immersed in the creation and performance of music.

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Photo by Karl Rabe

Offering Unique Undergraduate and Graduate Programs

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The Bard Conservatory also offers a Preparatory Division for students ages 3–18.

News

A professional photo of Composer in Residence Missy Mazzoli.

Composer in Residence Missy Mazzoli Profiled in the New York Times

“We want the field to expand,” said Mazzoli, “and so bringing in [diversity] helps the field survive and thrive.”

a man in a black t-shirt stands in front of a hallway of gothic stone arches

James Bagwell Named Principal Conductor of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and Berkshire Bach Society

Bagwell was recognized by both organizations for the role he has played over the past two decades in creating a consistent record of excellence in choral performance.

US-China Music Institute's Conference on Chinese Music in the West Featured in China Daily

The three-day program brought together renowned guzheng masters from China, musicians from across North America, and young student performers for a gathering of artistic exchange, collaboration, and performance.

Meet Our Faculty

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Robert Warner

Robert Warner
Robert began his musical training at an early age in his native Pennsylvania, studying both piano and violin as a child. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester where he majored in both music and mathematics, during which time he also took harpsichord lessons and studied Baroque performance practice at the Eastman School of Music. He continued his early music studies at Stony Brook University under the tutelage of Arthur Haas, serving as manager and assistant director of the Stony Brook Baroque ensemble and eventually earning a master's degree in music history as well as a DMA in harpsichord performance.

Upon graduating from Stony Brook, Robert was accepted into the Juilliard School’s Historical Performance program where he took harpsichord lessons with Peter Sykes, Richard Egarr and Beatrice Martin and performed extensively as a continuo keyboardist and violist in projects led by Jordi Savall, William Christie and others. He currently resides in New York City and is once again splitting his time between music and math, maintaining an active performing schedule while working as a math tutor. Recent musical engagements have included concerts with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Boston Baroque and Upper Valley Baroque. He also performs regularly with Musicivic Baroque and Relic Ensemble as the primary harpsichordist for both groups.
Melissa Reardon

Viola; Artist in Residence, Bard College

Melissa Reardon
Grammy-nominated violist Melissa Reardon is the Artistic Director of the Portland Chamber Music Festival in Portland, ME, Artist in Residence at Bard College and Conservatory and a founding member and the Executive Director of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO). As a member of the Ensō String Quartet from 2006 until its final season in 2018, Melissa toured both nationally and internationally, with highlight performances in Sydney, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center to name a few. Melissa won first prize at the Washington International Competition, and is the only violist to win top prizes in consecutive HAMS International viola competitions. She has appeared in numerous festivals across the United States and around the world, including tours with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, and with Musicians from Marlboro. She held the post of Associate Professor of Viola at East Carolina University from 2007 -2013, and earned degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory. Melissa is married to the cellist Raman Ramakrishnan and they live in NYC with their seven-year-old son Linus.
Marka Gustavsson

Chamber Music Director, Bard Conservatory; Viola

Marka Gustavsson

A dedicated chamber musician and current member of the Manhattan String Quartet, violist Marka Gustavsson enjoys a rich and varied performance life both in the US and abroad. She has been a guest artist at festivals including Bard Music Festival, Mostly Mozart, Vancouver’s Music in the Morning, the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, WQXR’s Showcase Concerts, Yale Faculty Artists’ Series. Marka has premiered and recorded solo works and chamber music of composers John Halle, Joan Tower, Kyle Gann, Harold Farberman, George Tsontakis, Martin Bresnick, Richard Wernick, Laura Kaminsky, Tania Leon, and Tan Dun. From 1999 through 2014, Marka belonged to the Colorado Quartet with whom she performed cycles of Beethoven, Bartok and Schubert. As a teacher, Marka holds a faculty position at Bard College and Conservatory, and serves as Associate Director and Coordinator of Chamber Music. In the summer, she coaches chamber music for the Young Artists’ Program of Yellow Barn in Putney, VT. At home in Red Hook, NY, she loves gardening, cooking, reading, and hiking with her husband, pianist and composer John Halle, 16 year old son Ben, and Russell—the dog.
Marc Goldberg

Bassoon

Marc Goldberg
Marc Goldberg is a member of the NY Woodwind Quintet, the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, principal bassoonist of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, The American Ballet Theater, Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, NYC Opera, and a member of the American Symphony. Formerly associate principal bassoonist of the NY Philharmonic, he has also toured and recorded with the Metropolitan Opera, Boston Symphony, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He received his BM and MM degrees from The Juilliard School, and teaches at Bard College Conservatory, Juilliard Pre College, Mannes College, New England Conservatory, The Hartt School, and NYU.