Boston, MA: The Boston Conservatory is a 4-year college, not for academics, but for intense training for a professional career in the performing arts. It is set in the city of Boston, and I was pleased to see that it shares its immediate area with the Berklee School of Music. This means that there is a concentration of people in the arts who are also your peers. Before I visited I liked the idea of going there, but now I love the idea. I entered the main building and was smiled at by each person I saw. A friendly woman in admissions handed me a catalogue that included audition information, and told me I was welcome to look around wherever I liked.

As I approached the other building I heard a soprano voice rehearsing an Italian opera through an open window. I could have stood there and listened, it was so well performed. When I entered I heard a piano echoing classical music and a dance instructor's voice calling out steps. I eagerly ventured toward these sounds and found the dance studios filled with dancers, practicing graceful turns and leaps. I was so excited I wished I could jump right into the class. The walls in the hallway were lined with bulletin boards covered with posters of casting calls and advertisements of performances. My next destination was up the flights of stairs to the rehearsal halls where I heard theatre students rehearsing dialogue with a teacher. The main theatre was also in that building, but I couldn't go in because people were in the process of set strike from a recent show.

The dorms are in beautiful old brownstones, with lots of living space. There is a student union/lounge between the dorms and the music building where the students meet and relax. The Boston Conservatory is a livable environment, set in an exciting city, with concentrations of serious performers. The Conservatory is for professional training in music, dance, and theatre; this is not a liberal arts college. So for those who are serious about their art, know they want it (or a career) for the rest of their lives, I highly recommend Boston Conservatory. f




Reviewed in 1996