Our Story
Entering its second century as a dynamic center of musical learning, the Mannes School of Music at the New School is a standard bearer for innovative artistry, dedicated to developing citizen artists who engage their communities and the world through music. Mannes upholds a rich tradition of pedagogical excellence established by founders David and Clara Mannes in 1916. Celebrated recitalists as well as visionary educators, they sought to educate the whole person within each student, developing a strong technical foundation for music making while also instilling a sense of what it means to make a life in music. Today the founders’ vision is alive and well, and Mannes students graduate well prepared with the knowledge, understanding, and skills they need to thrive as artists in the 21st century.
Through its undergraduate, graduate and preparatory programs, Mannes offers a curriculum as imaginative as it is rigorous, taught by world class faculty and visiting artists. Beyond the mastery gained through private lessons, ensemble participation, master classes, and a thorough grounding in theory imparted by the renowned Techniques of Music department, students benefit from Mannes’s leading-edge, cross-disciplinary approach. As part of The New School’s College of Performing Arts, together with the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and the School of Drama, Mannes affords students unique opportunities for collaborative work. Projects can often extend beyond the College’s walls to include New School partners such as Parsons School of Design, as well as prominent arts organizations across the country.
Mannes makes its home on The New School’s Greenwich Village campus in a state-of-the-art facility at the newly renovated Arnhold Hall. Shared by the Jazz and Drama schools, the building hums with creative practice and exploration, culminating in performances across campus as well as at prestigious New York venues such as City Center, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Mannes proudly maintains a long-standing tradition of providing access to free and affordable performances for the public, including John Zorn’s groundbreaking experimental music venue, The Stone, which in 2018 relocated to the Glassbox Theater in Arnhold Hall.
Mannes’s distinguished alumni include the 20th century songwriting legend Burt Bacharach; the great pianists Richard Goode, Murray Perahia, and Bill Evans; acclaimed conductors Semyon Bychkov, Myung-Whun Chung, JoAnn Falletta, and Julius Rudel; music theorist and educator Carl Schachter; path-breaking jazz fusion guitarist Larry Coryell; beloved mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade as well as the newest opera stars of today, Yonghoon Lee, Danielle de Niese, and Nadine Sierra; and Pulitzer Prize-winning arts journalist Tim Page.
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#CollegeofPerformingArtsAtTheNewSchool: The School of Drama, School of Jazz and Contemporary Music & Mannes School of Music
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