The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music), informally known as ‘The Con’, is one of the oldest music schools in Australia.

The Greenway Building

Originally constructed in 1821 as the Government Stables for the Colony of New South Wales, the structure that houses the Conservatorium is one of the few surviving works of the convict architect, Francis Greenway. A dramatic gothic structure with turrets, the building was described as a ‘palace for horses’ and is a portrayal of the romantic vision of Governor Lachlan Macquarie and the British architectural trends of the time. The stables, located in close proximity to picturesque Sydney harbour, reflects the building techniques and the range of materials and skills employed during the early settlement era. Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea Speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo Gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus Anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus Viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... Francis Greenway, as shown on the 1966 Australian $10 note. ...

Opening of the Conservatorium

In 1915, the NSW Government under William Holman allocated £22000 to the redevelopment of the stables into a music school. The “NSW State Conservatorium of Music” opened on 6 March 1916, under the Directorship of Belgian conductor and violinist Henri Verbrugghen. A specialist high school, the Conservatorium High School soon followed in 1919. William Arthur Holman (Born Clapham, London August 4, 1871; Died Gordon, June 6, 1934) was an Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales, Australia, who split with the party on the conscription issue in 1916 during World War 1, and immediately became Premier of a conservative Nationalist Party Government. ... March 6 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (66th in Leap years). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Conservatorium High School is a specialist secondary school located in Macquarie Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia run by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Relationships with the Opera World

In 1935 the “Conservatorium Opera School” was founded, later performing works such as Giuseppe Verdi’s Falstaff and Othello, Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Die Walküre, Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, among others. 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Giuseppe Verdi, by Giovanni Boldini, 1886 (National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome). ... Falstaff is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeares play The Merry Wives of Windsor. ... Othello and Desdemona in Venice by Théodore Chassériau (1819–1856) Othello: The Moor of Venice is a tragedy by Shakespeare written around 1603. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 in Leipzig[1] – February 13, 1883 in Venice[2]) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Master Singers of Nuremberg) is an opera in three acts, written and composed by Richard Wagner. ... Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) is the second of the four operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), by Richard Wagner. ... Claude Debussy Claude Achille Debussy (August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918), composer of impressionistic classical music. ... Pelléas et Mélisande is the name of several dramatic works. ...

Expansion and Reforms

Under the direction of Rex Hobcroft, the Conservatorium adopted the modern educational profile recognised today. Hobcroft’s vision of a “Music University” was realised, in which specialised musical disciplines including both classical and jazz performance, music education, composition and musicology enriched each other. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Composition deals with the bits and pieces that make up things. ... Musicology is reasoned discourse concerning music (Greek: μουσικη = music and λογος = word or reason). In other words: the whole body of systematized knowledge about music which results from the application of a scientific method of investigation or research, or of philosophical speculation and rational systematization to the facts, the processes and the...

In 1952, a branch of the Conservatorium was established in Newcastle, with an initial intake of 163 students. 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

As part of the Dawkins Reforms, the Conservatorium was split, with the Sydney campus amalgamating with the University of Sydney, and the Newcastle campus amalgamating with the University of Newcastle. The Dawkins Revolution was a series of Australian tertiary education reforms instituted by the then Labor Education Minister (1987-92) John Dawkins. ... The University of Sydney, established in Sydney in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia. ... The University of Newcastle in New South Wales, established in 1965, has a student population of just over 20,000 as of 2004. ...

A 1994 review of the Sydney Conservatorium by the University of Sydney resulted in a recommendation ‘That negotiations with the NSW State Government about permanent suitable accommodation for the Conservatorium be pursued as a matter or urgency”

In May 1997, Premier Bob Carr announced a major upgrade of the Conservatorium, with the ultimate goal of creating a music education facility equal to or better than anything in the world. A team was assembled to work to that brief, resulting in a complex collaboration between various government departments (notably the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Public Works and Services), the Government Architect, US-based acoustic consultants Kirkegaard Associates, Daryl Jackson Robin Dyke Architects, the key users represented by the Principal and Dean of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and the Principal of the Conservatorium High School, the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust and many others. The Hon. ...

The building process saw the temporary relocation of the Conservatorium’s performance activities, and the Conservatorium High School to the Australian Technology Park from 1998-2001. The Australian Technology Park (sometimes abbreviated to ATP) is a business and technology centre in Eveleigh, in Sydney. ...

Directors

Past directors include Dr Edgar Bainton, Sir Eugene Goossens, Sir Bernard Heinze, Joseph Post, Rex Hobcroft, John Painter, John Hopkins and Sharman Pretty. As of 2004, Professor Kim Walker is the current Dean. The model of music education across secondary, tertiary, and community sectors continues to this day. Edgar Leslie Bainton (February 14, 1880–December 8, 1956) was a British composer, most celebrated for his church music. ... Eugène Goossens has been the name of three notable musicians: Eugène Goossens (February 25, 1845, Bruges, Belgium - 30 December 1906, Liverpool, England) was a conductor. ... Sir Bernard Thomas Heinze (born in Shepparton, Victoria on July 1, 1894, died June 10, 1982) was an Australian Professor of Music and conductor. ... John Painter, born September 20, 1888 in Tennessee, died March 1, 2001 aged 112 years 162 days also in Tennessee. ... For the British film and television writer of the same name, see John Hopkins (writer). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Sydney Conservatorium of Music website