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The Music Program at Bard

Photo by Jonathan Aseidu '24
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The Bard College campus is awash in music; by all accounts, that fact is one of the school’s most distinctive features. The Music Program, one of the largest programs on campus, provides a wide range of musical concentrations, from classical composition and performance to jazz, electronic music, musicology, ethnomusicology, and music theory. The music faculty all maintain highly visible careers outside academia, many of us nationally or internationally. Many of our most active music students are majoring in something other than music, and all are welcome.
The Bard Conservatory
Photo by Karl Rabe

The Bard Conservatory

The Music Program is separate from the Bard College Conservatory of Music, which has a double-degree program and various graduate programs. The Conservatory's primary differences are as follows: focus on classical music performance and composition; secondary major required; five-year program; and audition required to apply. Despite the separation, many performance opportunities involve both Conservatory students and Music Program students.

More about the Bard Conservatory

The Bard Baroque Ensemble

The Bard Baroque Ensemble welcomes students from both the College and Conservatory. At the start of the semester, students from the College or Conservatory wishing to join should contact director Renée Anne Louprette at [email protected] to express their interest in joining. Watch a livestreamed concert by the Bard Baroque Ensemble in collaboration with Bard Chamber Singers, Preparatory Chorus, Graduate Vocal Arts Program, performing works by Bach in Olin Hall.

More about the Baroque Ensemble

Learn more about other music ensembles at Bard

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

The Bard College music community celebrates its wide-ranging approaches to musical studies by emphasizing creative expression and the development of each individual artistic voice. Our programs include: The Undergraduate Music Program (classical instrumental and voice, composition, electronic music, ethnomusicology, history, jazz, theory); The Conservatory of Music (composition, conducting, instrumental, US-China, voice); and The Orchestra Now. Historically, classical music education has foregrounded European practices of the 17th through 20th centuries. As we become accountable for discriminations relating to that narrow focus, we affirm our intention to break down those boundaries of exclusion. Actionable steps towards equity include: the long term cultivation of a diverse faculty, staff, and student body that is inclusive of a diverse range of races, ethnicities, genders, and LGBTQ+ identities; the practice of respectful listening and communication within and between our programs; the regular review of curricula and their successful inclusion of multiple perspectives; the presentation of diverse musical programming that features and furthers collaborations across the Bard campus; and the forging of initiatives that engage with underserved communities and underrepresented populations. As we pursue these goals, we remain committed to taking actions that combat discrimination and racism in order to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive program.

Applying to the Program

Upcoming Events

  • Bard Baroque Ensemble 
    11/24
    Sunday
    5:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST/GMT-5
    Chapel of the Holy Innocents
  • 12/03
    Tuesday
    5:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST/GMT-5
    Blum Hall
  • 12/05
    Thursday
    7:00 pm – 8:00 pm EST/GMT-5
    Blum N211, the jazz room
  • 12/05
    Thursday
    8:00 pm – 9:00 pm EST/GMT-5
    The Jazz Room, Blum N211

NEWSROOM

Joan Tower’s Cello Concerto <em>A New Day</em> Featured in <em>Times Union</em>

Joan Tower’s Cello Concerto A New Day Featured in Times Union

The work was written while Jeff Litfin, her late husband of 50 years, was dying.

Bard College Conservatory Receives $50,006 Grant from New York State

Bard College Conservatory Receives $50,006 Grant from New York State

Bard Music Professor Marcus Roberts Performs in Gala Concert to Inaugurate Philadelphia Orchestra’s Newly Named Marian Anderson Hall

Bard Music Professor Marcus Roberts Performs in Gala Concert to Inaugurate Philadelphia Orchestra’s Newly Named Marian Anderson Hall