Colburn School
The Colburn School is a private performing arts school in Los Angeles with a focus on music and dance. It consists of four divisions: the Conservatory of Music, Music Academy, Community School of Performing Arts and the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute. It is located adjacent to the Museum of Contemporary Art and across the street from the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

History
The school was established in 1950 as a preparatory arm of the USC Thornton School of Music. It was originally located across the street from the Shrine Auditorium, in a warehouse that had been converted into extra USC practice rooms, rehearsal halls, and dance studios. It later broadened its mission and changed its name to the Community School of Performing Arts. In 1980, it finalized its split with USC and branched out on its own. 

In 1985, the school received a significant endowment from Richard D. Colburn and was subsequently renamed in his honor. The school moved from its original location near the USC campus to its current location in downtown Los Angeles in 1998. Five years later, the Colburn Conservatory of Music was established to provide tertiary music education with a unique all-scholarship model. In 2010, the school opened the Colburn Music Academy, a highly selective program designed for young pre-collegiate musicians.

In 2014, the Colburn Dance Academy was launched as the pre-professional ballet program of the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute. Former New York City Ballet principal dancer Jenifer Ringer was appointed as dean and Benjamin Millepied was made artistic advisor. The same year, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet became the school’s first Artist-in-Residence.

Programs 

The Conservatory of Music provides tertiary level degree programs to students. Currently, degrees offered are Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Performance Diploma, Artist Diploma and Professional Studies Certificate. All students receive full scholarship including housing and stipends. The Dean of the Conservatory is Lee Cioppa.

In 2019, the Conservatory instituted the Negaunee Conducting Program.  Led by conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen, the program offers either undergraduate or graduate conducting diplomas. In addition to working with various ensembles within the school, fellows join the conducting staff at the San Francisco Symphony and serve as assistant conductors to Salonen for his international engagements.

The Music Academy is the Colburn School’s pre-collegiate division and teaches gifted students between the ages of 14 and 18. The program’s curriculum includes music theory, ear training, music history and chamber music.

The Community School of Performing Arts serves all ages through to 18 and offers classes for several disciplines: Ensembles, Jazz, Music Theory, Piano, Strings, Voice and Choir, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion and Drama. The Dean of the Community School is Susan Cook.

The Dance Academy is the flagship program of the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute and is designed to prepare dancers between the ages of 14 and 19 for professional careers.  The curriculum has a focus on classical ballet while also providing instruction for other styles. The Dean of the Dance Academy is Margaret Tracey.

Admission 

In an unidentified year, 500 applicants applied to the Colburn School's Conservatory of Music and 26 were accepted for a 5% acceptance rate. Approximately 110 students attend the Conservatory of Music, and more than 1,500 students are enrolled in classes at the Community School of Performing Arts.

Facilities and architecture

The Colburn School's main building was designed by the architectural firm Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates. It includes the Lloyd Wright designed studio of Jascha Heifetz. Originally situated in Heifetz's backyard, it was saved from demolition and rebuilt on the second floor of the school's Grand Avenue building. Also located in the building is Zipper Hall, a concert venue that hosts both professional and student performances throughout the year. The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra have both performed chamber music concerts at the venue.

In 2016, the Colburn School bought an outdoor parking lot on the corner of 2nd and Olive Streets for $33 million. In 2022, plans were announced to build the Colburn Center on the site. Designed by Frank Gehry, the center will include a 1,000-seat concert hall with acoustics by Yasuhisa Toyota, and a 100-seat theater along with several dance studios. The project is expected to break ground in 2023 with an estimated completion date in 2025.

Notable people

Alumni
 Emilie Autumn - singer-songwriter and violinist
 Kris Bowers - composer and jazz pianist
 Stephen Lee Bruner (Thundercat) - bassist and songwriter
 Calder Quartet - ensemble
 Calidore String Quartet - ensemble
 Robert Chen - violinist
 Billy Childs - composer and jazz pianist
 Danielle de Niese - soprano
 Tim Fain - violinist
 Jennifer Frautschi - violinist
 David Fung - pianist
 Anthony Gonzalez - actor
 William Hagen - violinist
 Leila Josefowicz - violinist
 Tamaki Kawakubo - violinist
 Larry Klein - producer, songwriter and jazz bassist
 Amadéus Leopold - violinist
 Geneva Lewis - violinist
 Anne Akiko Meyers - violinist 
 Miles Mosley - jazz bassist
 Nokuthula Ngwenyama - violist
 Blake Pouliot - violinist
 Eric Reed - jazz pianist
 Patrice Rushen - jazz pianist and singer
 Albert Cano Smit - pianist
 Mikyung Sung - double bassist
 Michael Tilson Thomas - conductor
 Donald Vega - jazz pianist
 Viano Quartet - ensemble

Faculty
 Ted Atkatz - percussion
 Andrew Bain - horn
 Martin Beaver - chamber music and violin
 Fabio Bidini - piano
 Helen Callus - viola
 Paul Coletti - viola
 Paul Ellison - double bass
 Silas Farley - dance
 Ariana Ghez - oboe
 Yehuda Gilad - clarinet
 Eugene Izotov - oboe
 Thomas Kotcheff - ear training and music theory
 Mark Lawrence - trombone
 Ronald Leonard - cello
 Ida Levin - chamber music
 Teng Li - viola
 Robert Lipsett - violin
 Tatjana Masurenko - viola
 Norman Pearson - tuba
 Elizabeth Pitcairn - violin
 Jenifer Ringer - dance
 Esa-Pekka Salonen - conducting
 Eleonore Schoenfeld - cello
 Ory Shihor - piano
 Scott St. John - chamber music
 Arnold Steinhardt - violin
 Janie Taylor - dance
 Margaret Tracey - dance
 JoAnn Turovsky - harp
 Allan Vogel - oboe
 Jim Walker - flute

References

External links
Official website

Music schools in California
Schools in Los Angeles
Schools of the performing arts in the United States
Performing arts education in the United States
Educational institutions established in 1950
1950 establishments in California
Bunker Hill, Los Angeles