Ohio State University School of Music

Ohio State University School of Music
Name	Ohio State University School of Music
Established	1914
Type	Public university music school
Parent	Ohio State University
City	Columbus, Ohio
Country	United States
Director	Andrew S. Druckenbrod
Students	600

Ohio State University School of Music is the comprehensive music unit within Ohio State University offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in performance, composition, music education, musicology, and music therapy. Located in Columbus, Ohio, the School of Music maintains partnerships with regional and national organizations and presents frequent concerts featuring faculty, student ensembles, and guest artists. The school contributes to cultural life through collaborations with institutions such as the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Wexner Center for the Arts, and touring partnerships with ensembles from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

History

The roots of the School trace to early 20th-century curricular development at Ohio State University and the founding of dedicated music instruction alongside expansions in the College of Arts and Sciences and later the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Early directors navigated growth during the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, while postwar periods saw curriculum diversification influenced by figures connected to Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, and Eastman School of Music. During the late 20th century, strategic hires with ties to University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and Curtis Institute of Music spurred research in musicology, composition premieres tied to Tanglewood Music Center alumni, and the establishment of programs in music therapy mirroring trends at University of Miami Frost School of Music and Berklee College of Music. Facilities expansions paralleled capital projects seen at Kendall College of Art and Design and renovations inspired by models at Peabody Institute and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Recent decades featured visiting residencies with artists from New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, and commissions from composers affiliated with Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and Yale School of Music.

Academic programs

The School offers Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees comparable to programs at Manhattan School of Music, Rice University Shepherd School of Music, and University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Majors include performance areas reflecting traditions at Royal College of Music, Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia, and Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, as well as composition paths informed by composers from IRCAM and The Juilliard School composition faculty. Music education tracks prepare students for licensure similar to pathways at Peabody Institute and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, while musicology and ethnomusicology sequences draw on scholarship connected to Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and Oxford University. The music therapy curriculum aligns with standards from American Music Therapy Association and clinical partnerships with Nationwide Children's Hospital and OhioHealth. Collaborative degrees with Fisher College of Business, Moritz College of Law, and College of Engineering enable interdisciplinary study reflecting dual-degree models at Northwestern University and Duke University.

Facilities and ensembles

Performance and rehearsal spaces include concert halls modeled after venues like Severance Hall, recital halls comparable to those at Irvine Barclay Theatre, and recording facilities akin to studios at Berklee. The School maintains large ensembles such as the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, and Choruses that have performed with guest conductors from Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Chamber ensembles and jazz groups collaborate with artists who have appeared at Montreux Jazz Festival and Newport Jazz Festival. Opera productions utilize resources similar to those at San Francisco Opera education programs and have staged works from the repertoires of Giacomo Puccini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Giuseppe Verdi. Early music and contemporary ensembles host premieres by composers associated with Bang on a Can and International Contemporary Ensemble, while partnerships with the Columbus Museum of Art and Ohio Theatre enable outreach performances. The School's recording output and commissioning activities draw comparison to initiatives at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Royal Academy of Music.

Faculty and administration

Faculty appointments include performers, scholars, and composers with professional histories at institutions and ensembles such as Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, and conservatories including Curtis Institute of Music, Royal College of Music, and Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln. Research-active musicologists publish in journals associated with Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and societies like the American Musicological Society. Composition faculty have received commissions and awards from organizations including the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and Koussevitzky Foundation. Administrative leadership liaises with the Office of Academic Affairs, the University Senate, and donors connected to foundations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and Kresge Foundation.

Student life and organizations

Student organizations mirror national groups like College Music Society, National Association for Music Education, and Sigma Alpha Iota, alongside campus chapters of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Notre Dame Folk Choir-style ensembles. Student-run initiatives produce series similar to Walker Art Center programming and participate in competitions associated with MTNA and ASTA. Touring ensembles have engaged with community partners including Columbus Arts Council, Ohioana Library Association, and regional school districts. Outreach programs collaborate with venues such as Short North Arts District galleries and institutions like Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Student media and promotion efforts partner with campus outlets like The Lantern and broadcast through student stations modeled on WKSU.

Notable alumni and faculty

Alumni and faculty have held positions or performed with major organizations including the Metropolitan Opera, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and have taught at Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, University of Michigan, Yale School of Music, and Curtis Institute of Music. Recognized composers and performers have received honors such as the Pulitzer Prize for Music, Grammy Awards, MacArthur Fellowship, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim Foundation. Guest artists and visiting faculty have included soloists and conductors associated with Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Martha Graham, Pierre Boulez, and choreographers connected to New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.

Category:Ohio State University Category:Conservatories in the United States