Colburn School

The school was established in 1950 as a preparatory arm of the USC Thornton School of Music. It was originally 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 1972, composer and conductor Herbert Zipper became the school's project director.^[3] Zipper encouraged businessman Richard D. Colburn to contribute funding.^[4] In 1980, the school finalized its split with USC and branched out on its own.

The school received a significant endowment from Colburn in 1985 and was subsequently renamed in his honor.^[4] It moved to its current location in downtown Los Angeles in 1998.^[5] In 2003, the Colburn Conservatory of Music was established to provide tertiary music education with an all-scholarship model.^[6] In 2008, the Colburn Dance Institute was renamed the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute after a large anonymous donation in her memory.^[7][8] In 2010, the school opened the Colburn Music Academy, a program for young pre-collegiate musicians.^[9]

In 2014, the Colburn Dance Academy 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.^[10] The same year, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet became the school's first artist-in-Residence.^[11]

In 2019, the Colburn School established the Negaunee Conducting Program and appointed conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen to lead it.^[12] In 2024, the Negaunee Foundation made a $16.6 million donation in perpetuity to endow the program.^[13][14][15]

The Conservatory of Music provides tertiary-level degree programs to students. 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.^[16] The Dean of the Conservatory is Lee Cioppa.

The Conservatory is also home to the Negaunee Conducting Program. Led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, the program offers undergraduate and 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.^[17]

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

The Community School of Performing Arts serves children under 18 and offers classes for piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, jazz, voice and choir, ensembles, and drama, among other disciplines.^[19] Its dean is Susan Cook.

The Dance Academy is the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute's flagship program and is designed to prepare dancers between the ages of 14 and 19 for professional careers.^[20] The curriculum focuses on classical ballet while also providing instruction for other styles. The Dance Academy's dean is Margaret Tracey.^[21]

Admission to the Colburn Conservatory of Music is highly competitive. In an unidentified year, 26 out of 500 applicants were accepted, a 5% acceptance rate.^[22] About 120 students attend the Conservatory of Music and more than 1,700 take classes at the Community School of Performing Arts.^[23][24] About 50 students study at the Music Academy and 25 at the Dance Academy.^[25][26]

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 in Heifetz's backyard, it was saved from demolition and rebuilt on the second floor of the school's Grand Avenue building.^[27] Also in the building is Zipper Hall, which hosts both professional and student performances throughout the year. The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra have both performed chamber music concerts there.^[28]

In 2016, the Colburn School bought an outdoor parking lot on the corner of 2nd and Olive Streets for $33 million.^[29] In 2022, plans were announced to build the Colburn Center on the site.^[30][31] 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.^[32] The project broke ground in 2024 and is estimated to be completed in 2027.^[33][34]