Perform at the Highest Level
- Professional-level training
- Distinguished artist faculty
- Innovative music industry programs and performance opportunities
- Preparation for prestigious graduate programs worldwide
Ensembles
Music Programs
Music at Shenandoah
- Programs span the music industry
- Unique programs in jazz/commercial music and contemporary music/entrepreneurship
- Virginia’s oldest music therapy program
- Highly regarded music education program
- Students accepted by respected programs as the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall, Aspen Music Festival, The Pierre Monteux School, Adamant and the Idyllwild Summer Program
- Alumni perform in symphony orchestra and opera companies worldwide, are educators and therapists, and respected creatives
Music News
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Shenandoah Well Represented at Virginia NATS Competition
This past weekend, a large cohort of Shenandoah Conservatory singers travelled to George Mason University to compete in the annual Virginia chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition. Students of Professor of Voice ... Continue Reading Shenandoah Well Represented at Virginia…
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Jennifer Steele Named Dean Of Shenandoah Conservatory
Shenandoah University is pleased to announce that Jennifer Smolos Steele, Ph.D., has been named the new dean of Shenandoah Conservatory. Dr. Steele has held various academic positions in higher education arts programs for nearly 20 years. She ... Continue Reading Jennifer Steele Named Dean Of…
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New Interdisciplinary Graduate Music Therapy Program Launches This Fall
In partnership with Shenandoah University’s Division of Counselor Education, the Shenandoah Conservatory music therapy program has launched a new graduate degree, the Master of Arts in Music Therapy & Professional Counseling. This ... Continue Reading New Interdisciplinary Graduate Music Therapy…
Music Alumni
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Karos ’18 Recognized as Outstanding Music Educator by MMEA
John Karos ’18 (Master of Music Education) has been recognized by the Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA) as a 2025 Awards for Excellence recipient. Karos currently serves as the director of bands and performing arts department chair at ... Continue Reading Karos ’18 Recognized as Outstanding…
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Coleman ’18 Collaborates with Garrett on Publication of ‘Accessible and Beautiful’
Edryn J. Coleman ’18 (Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education – Choral) collaborated with Marques L. A. Garrett to compile and edit “Accessible and Beautiful: Repertoire for Mixed Voices to Encourage Connection and Growth,” a new anthology recently ... Continue Reading Coleman ’18 Collaborates with Garrett…
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Hammel ’87, ’99 Instructs Music Education Teachers for Students with Disabilities in Saudi Arabia
Alice M. Hammel '87, '99 (Bachelor of Music in Music Education, Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education), widely known music educator, author, public speaker, clinician and expert in music education for students with differences and disabilities, ... Continue Reading Hammel ’87, ’99 Instructs Music…
Music Faculty
Active, supportive, masters of their craft
- Passionate about the art of teaching
- Sought after as soloists, guest artists, and expert clinicians worldwide
- Highly engaged in their fields with deep networks
- In residence at prestigious summer festivals
- Experience ranging from performing at the Metropolitan Opera to conducting Grammy Award-winning choirs, composing music and serving on international competition juries
ShenCoLAB
Shenandoah Conservatory turns over the programming and facilities to its students for a week of unbridled exploration, collaboration and creativity.
ShenCoLAB is the only such week of its magnitude and scope offered by a university performing arts program in the United States.
The week culminates in an extraordinary event: the Festival of Arts, Ideas & Exploration, which featured 27 performances and five presentations in the inaugural year!
Take a Virtual Tour of Shenandoah Conservatory
Shenandoah Conservatory is an exciting hub of collaboration and innovation. Here's a chance to take a quick look at all the spaces in which our students engage in rich and rewarding creative experiences in music, theatre, and dance.
We're an All-Steinway School
Great music stirs the heart and inspires the soul, and Steinway pianos are celebrated as the instruments used by renowned artists to cultivate their talent and produce great music. Similarly, uncompromising excellence in performing arts education sparks the imagination and inspires the future.
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