The Oberlin College was founded in 1833 in Oberlin, Ohio by a presbyterian minister, Rev. John J. Shipherd and a missionary, Philo P. Stewartand. The Conservatory became part of the college in 1867, two years after its founding as a private school. The School is located on the campus of Oberlin College in the city of Oberlin. The Oberlin Conservatory is the oldest continuously operating music school in the United States. The new conservatory building was designed by Minoru Yamasaki in 1963. The style of the building closely resembles Yamasaki's later design of the World Trade Center in New York City.
The Building
The admission to the School is based on a competitive audition. Every year, over 1.400 musicians from around the world apply for a freshman class of around 120. Students and graduates of Oberlin Conservatory have the opportunity to enter a broad network within the music world. The alumni of the Conservatory can be found in most major professional ensembles. Oberlin Conservatory was honored by President Obama in 2009 with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the United States Government to artists and arts patrons in recognition of the wealth and depth of their creative expressions. The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is the only professional music school to date to have received this prestigious award.
