The Music Program is housed in the Edith C. Blum Institute, part of the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Center, which is also home to the Film and Electronic Arts Program and some Conservatory offices. Music facilities include a fully equipped, soundproof recording studio, editing studio, computer music studio, composition studio, listening library, jazz band rehearsal space, jazz percussion studio, instrument storage, small performance spaces, and an outdoor amphitheater.
The Music Program also maintains practice rooms in Blum and in the Music Practice Rooms building nearby. Students have access to grand and upright Steinway and Yamaha pianos, donated to Bard by the manufacturers. Pianos—in addition to those in the music buildings—are available for student practice in Olin Hall, Bard Hall, the Chapel of the Holy Innocents, and several residence halls.
A gift from László Z. Bitó ’60, the Bitó Conservatory Building opened in spring 2013. The building, named one of six standout new university buildings by Interior Design (June 2014), contains teaching studios, classrooms, practice rooms, offices, and a 145-seat performance space. The two graduate programs of the Conservatory—vocal arts and conducting—are also housed in the building, allowing for closer interaction with undergraduates.
Students may take part in public performances at several venues on campus, including Olin Hall, and the Sosnoff and LUMA Theaters at the Frank Gehry–designed Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. The Fisher Center also houses the Dance and Theater & Performance Programs, and during the summer hosts the Bard Music Festival and the annual SummerScape series of dance, opera, theater, film, music, and cabaret. The Orchestra Now, a training orchestra and graduate program, prepares musicians for the challenges facing the modern symphony orchestra.