Why Yale?
welcome For more than 100 years, we have nurtured successful performers, composers, and cultural leaders. As one of the leading professional music schools in the world, we seek students of extraordinary musical talent to pursue advanced studies with our distinguished faculty. The Yale School of Music is part of an international research university that cherishes its academic heritage, values the arts, and embraces innovation and progress. At Yale you will find an array of libraries, art galleries, historical collections, theaters, and a rich concert life. I invite you to consider Yale for your graduate studies. With a bold vision for its future, the School of Music is preparing the next generation of the world’s great artists and cultural leaders.
robert blocker The Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of Music
Prepare for a professional career. Nurture your talent and passion to perform at the highest level. Study with our world-renowned faculty. Take courses in any department at Yale. Learn from stellar guest artists and ensembles through coachings and master classes. Make an impact in the world. Be versatile, curious, and inventive. The liberal arts environment fosters connections that cross disciplines. Develop your leadership skills. Use your art to create change. Be free to study. Every student receives a full-tuition scholarship and stipend.
Sean Chen values Yale’s close-knit community and devoted chamber music time. He also enjoys the chance to nurture his interest in computer science.
Sean Chen ’14AD Faculty: University of Missouri-Kansas City Honors: Annenberg Fellowship, 2015 Third Place at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 2013
Sean Chen, piano “Piano seminar is really interesting. Every semester there are different topics, and everyone presents. It seems daunting but it’s really not. There are really great master classes with guest artists and faculty of YSM. It’s the hardest thing to play in front of your peers. If you can do that, you can play in front of the public.”
As the only school of music in an Ivy League institution, YSM is an exciting place for musicians to develop their talents and broaden their intellects. A musical university The musical environment surrounds you. Take part in concerts at world-class art museums and libraries. Collaborate across disciplines. Yale is a place where music meets the world, from theater and architecture to engineering and medicine. Limitless possibilities With unparalleled resources and state-of-the-art facilities, Yale enables you to put your imagination into action. Cutting-edge technology and historical instruments are right at your fingertips. Opportunities await Here you have the opportunity to learn from the great musicians of our time. Guest artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Valery Gergiev, and John Adams have come to work with students, as have ensembles like the Emerson, Artis, and Takács string quartets. Yale regularly brings in the world’s formemost leaders and thinkers for public talks. Recent guests include former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and author Zadie Smith.
Above: Clarinetist Paul Cho ’09MM, ’10AD, one of many Yale alumni in the ensemble Decoda
Perform in New York Every year, the Yale in New York concert series presents YSM students, faculty, and alumni in collaborative performances at venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Play side-by-side with your professors and with exciting guest conductors in some of the world’s most prestigious venues.
The Greatest Musicians Many of the world’s top performers and composers come to Yale to give master classes, perform, and coach ensembles. Enjoy numerous opportunities to work with artists beyond the YSM faculty. Recent visiting artists have included John Adams, Marin Alsop, Emanuel Ax, James Conlon, Leon Fleisher, Valery Gergiev, Richard Goode, Yo-Yo Ma, David Finckel, and Wu Han.
yale in the world
Above: Angélique Kidjo performs at Yale; Yale students visit a classroom in Ghana.
Make Connections Yale faculty have extensive networks around the world. They are the artistic directors of such festivals as Bang on a Can, Chamber Music Northwest, and the International Piano Academy in Shanghai. Others are actively involved in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Orpheus, Sejong, Le Train Bleu, Beijing Modern Music Festival, and other leading organizations.
International Performances Yale regularly presents students in recitals and master classes in Europe, Asia, and beyond. Yale Opera students have performed in Ankara, Milan, Paris, and Warsaw. The Yale Percussion Group studied and performed in Ghana. YSM students are prizewinners at numerous competitions around the world.
Clockwise from top left: YSM students and faculty perform at Carnegie Hall; composer John Adams conducts the Yale Philharmonia; Valery Gergiev leads an orchestral reading; Yo-Yo Ma rehearses with YSM students.
academics Focus on what’s important to you Students take individual lessons and participate in regular studio classes. All performance majors study chamber music throughout their time at Yale and take part in the Yale Philharmonia, Yale Opera, New Music New Haven, and more. Deepen your knowledge Students take a variety of classes to broaden their musical knowledge, including music history and Yale’s unique hearing curriculum. Electives Study a favorite composer or musical era in depth. Expand your experiences with classes on community engagement. Lay the groundwork for your future with a class in career strategies. Broaden your horizons The University’s entire course catalog is open to you. YSM students have taken courses in anthropology, studio art, computer science, foreign languages, literature, history, political science, psychology, and countless other subjects.
Degrees master of music A two-year program for students who hold a bachelor’s degree (or international equivalent) in music or other subject.
master of musical arts A two-year, performance-oriented degree for students who hold a master’s degree in the same major.
doctor of musical arts
Programs
A distinctive program comprised of a two-year residency followed by a three-year period in which students launch their professional careers. For students who hold a master’s degree.
areas of study
artist diploma
Violin Viola Cello Double Bass Flute Oboe Clarinet Bassoon Horn Trumpet Trombone Tuba Percussion Guitar Harp Harpsichord Piano Organ Voice: Opera Voice: Early Music Orchestral Conducting Choral Conducting Composition String Quartet Collaborative Piano
A two-year program for instrumentalists and singers on the cusp of a major career who hold a minimum of a high school diploma. Enrollment is limited to six total.
certificate in performance A three-year program for a small number of gifted students who do not hold a bachelor’s degree.
b.a./m.m. An option for undergraduates to complete a B.A. from Yale College and an M.M. from YSM in five years.
fellowships A residency program for exceptional young string quartets and collaborative pianists.
Yale is the Musical Ivy The entire university embraces music. Brilliant scholars in the Department of Music teach music history, theory, and ethnomusicology. Students in other disciplines take on musical collaborations. You’ll find music in every corner of the campus.
Teaching Opportunities Take advantage of the numerous teaching opportunities in the robust lessons program. Work as a Teaching Artist in the Music in Schools Initiative, YSM’s large-scale partnership with the New Haven Public Schools. Be a teaching assistant with the Yale Band or for an academic course.
cultural leaders
Clockwise from left: the Music in Schools Initiative; the Yale Glee Club; Sō Percussion.
Collaborative Creativity Work with colleagues in other arts schools on creative projects. A production of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale brought together faculty and students from YSM and the School of Drama in a side-by-side collaboration that was performed at Carnegie Hall. Many YSM students perform at the Yale Cabaret and in other opportunities across the campus.
Clockwise from top right: The Soldier’s Tale, a collaboration with Yale School of Drama; Louis XVI-style harpsichord by William Hyman, Yale Collection of Musical Instruments; the Yale Center for British Art.
resources Yale Collection of Musical Instruments The Yale Collection of Musical Instruments holds nearly 1,000 items, from a Stradivarius violin to a Blanchet harpsichord to a natural trumpet by Sauerle. Many of the instruments and replicas are available for students to borrow, play, and learn from.
Oral History of American Music The Oral History of American Music collects audio and video memoirs in the voices of creative musicians. Listen to Aaron Copland describing how Appalachian Spring was named, John Cage on mushrooms and musical form, and Lou Harrison on the influence of Balinese gamelan on American music.
Gilmore Music Library This beautiful library contains approximately 121,000 scores and parts, 81,000 books, 43,000 recordings, and materials like photographs, archives, and manuscripts. You’ll also have access to the entire Yale University library system, which has more than 15 million volumes in media from ancient scrolls to electronic databases.
“There are a lot of resources available on this campus. You really feel the connection to history, all the faculty who have been here and the students that come before. It’s very empowering to feel part of a musical tradition.”
Media Production YSM provides professional quality recording and livestreaming services to students, faculty, and alumni. All venues are equipped with multi-camera recording and live-streaming capabilities. The Center for Studies in Music Technology offers classes and resources to YSM students, including performers and composers.
Digital Media Center for the Arts Yale’s Digital Media Center for the Arts offers access to cutting-edge digital tools, as well as training to use those tools effectively and creatively. Borrow an audio kit for a recording project or shoot a video in the specialized lab.
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library View and even touch papers and manuscripts by Charles Ives, Vladimir Horowitz, Robert Shaw, Virgil Thomson, and Kurt Weill, among many others. Get inside the minds of some of the most influential musicians in history. Bring manuscripts to life in your own performances.
“I love and miss New Haven. It’s small enough to own, and big enough to have a lot of exciting things happening. There was no shortage of things to do and resources to take advantage of.” — Ashley Bathgate
Above: The Grammy-winning New Haven Symphony Orchestra plays on the New Haven Green as part of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
life in new haven International Festival of Arts & Ideas A three-week extravaganza of performing arts, lectures, and conversations that takes over theaters and open spaces in New Haven each June. New Haven Symphony Orchestra The Grammy Award-winning orchestra has included YSM faculty like concertmaster Ani Kavafian and principal clarinetist David Shifrin. Many students are hired to play in the orchestra, which is known for its inventive programming. Nearby nature There’s a lot of great hiking nearby at places like East Rock Park and Sleeping Giant, the namesake of an alumni composers’ collective. Dining New Haven has been named the No. 1 Foodie Town in America and the home of the country’s best pizza. Bike it With a growing number of bike lanes and Yale’s bikeshare program, New Haven is a great place to explore on two wheels.
“You go to a school like this to be a sponge and soak up as much as you can. I was encouraged to try everything and develop everything.” Ashley Bathgate ’07MM, ’08AD Career: Bang on a Can All-Stars, Metropolis Ensemble, TwoSense Recordings on: Naxos, Nonesuch, Innova, Cantaloupe Music, La-La Land Records, Albany Records
Ashley Bathgate, cello “Mr. Parisot really made me a better cellist and a better musician. I could say that about many faculty members I worked with when I was here. You form these long-lasting relationships, both with faculty and with the students.”
in rehearsal
Top: Valery Gergiev leads the Yale Philharmonia in a public reading in Woolsey Hall. Bottom row: Students rehearse around campus.
Brentano String Quartet
Close Collaboration The internationally renowned performers on the Yale faculty come together to create Yale’s warm community. “There is an atmosphere of caring and supporting each other.” —Melvin Chen, faculty pianist and Deputy Dean Boris Berman
“This kind of education is absolutely unparalleled.” —Ani Kavafian
world class faculty
David Lang
Chamber Music The Brentano String Quartet, the ensemble-in-residence at YSM, anchors the chamber music program, and guest ensembles give master classes. All performance faculty coach student chamber ensembles.
Doris Yarick Cross
Mentorship Faculty and students play side-by-side in joint performances, connect students with the professional world, and offer ongoing support outside the studio. “The School of Music is an incredibly stable and healthy bridge between school and the job market.” —Stephen Taylor, oboe faculty William Purvis
“Nowadays, you can’t do just one thing: you have to be a good soloist, a good orchestral player, a good teacher; you have to be able to talk to audiences. The whole school tries to help everybody be prepared for what they’re going to find.” —Ransom Wilson
where are they now?
Dashon Burton ’11mm Roomful of Teeth, bass-baritone
Chamber Music A Far Cry CMS Two at Lincoln Center Ensemble Connect Roomful of Teeth Sejong Soloist St. Lawrence String Quartet Canadian Brass
Founding New Ensembles Atlanta Music Project Cantata Profana Decoda Invisible Anatomy The Sebastians Sleeping Giant Composers Collective Sō Percussion
Orchestras and Opera Companies Boston Symphony Orchestra Dallas Symphony Orchestra Hong Kong Philharmonic Los Angeles Philharmonic Metropolitan Opera New York Philharmonic Opéra de Lyon Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Vienna Staatsoper
Faculty Positions Berklee College of Music Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing) Cornell University Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University The Juilliard School Manhattan School of Music McGill University New England Conservatory Princeton University Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Shepherd School of Music, Rice University University of Southern California Sydney Conservatorium
Awards Annenberg Fellowship, Fulbright, Gaudeamus Prize, Grammy Award, MacArthur Award, Pulitzer Prize, Rome Prize, among many others
career strategies Yale empowers you to build your career As the music world continuously evolves in new directions, our Office of Career Strategies gives you the tools and knowledge to take charge of your growing career. Get career coaching, attend workshops on finance and marketing, and access resources to help you launch and manage your career. Learn the entrepreneurial skills that all of today’s musicians need. Change the musical landscape Yale School of Music students and graduates have formed countless ensembles, including A Far Cry, Sō Percussion, Sleeping Giant Composers Collective, the Sebastians, New Morse Code, and many others.
Clockwise from top left: Vijay Gupta, first violin, L.A. Philharmonic, founding director, Street Symphony; James Austin Smith, faculty, SUNY Stony Brook & Manhattan School of Music; composer Andrew Norman, winner of the Grawemeyer Award and Musical America’s 2017 Composer of the Year; Yoobin Son, second flute, New York Phiharmonic.
Yale Philharmonia Led by the principal conductor Peter Oundjian, the Yale Philharmonia is one of America’s foremost music ensembles. The Philharmonia offers superb training in orchestra playing and repetoire. Recent visiting conductors include John Adams, James Conlon, Valery Gergiev, and Krzysztof Penderecki.
Concerto Competition The annual Woolsey Hall Concerto Competition offers YSM students the opportunity to perform for a panel of distinguished outside judges. Winners perform with the Yale Philharmonia in the following season.
performance opportunities
Chamber Music Student ensembles are featured in concert series such as Lunchtime Chamber Music and Vista. Winners of the annual chamber music competition perform on a major series. Many studios present group recitals, and some have their own ensembles, such as the Yale Cellos and the Yale Percussion Group.
Yale Opera The opera program offers three fully staged productions each year, including one with orchestra in New Haven’s historic Shubert Theater. Singers also perform in Liederabend and public master classes.
Choral Ensembles All Yale students can audition for the Yale Camerata and the Yale Schola Cantorum, both under the auspices of the Institute of Sacred Music. The professional ensemble Yale Choral Artists is organized by the School of Music and the Yale Glee Club.
Left page, bottom: Adelya Nartadjieva ’16MM performs as a winner of the Woolsey Hall Concerto Competition. Top: the Yale Cellos rehearse with Aldo Parisot in Morse Recital Hall.
“I realize now how lucky I was to be treated like a professional while I was at Yale. Those experiences are still very relevant now that I’m in my career.” Leelanee Sterrett ’10MM Career: Acting Associate Principal Horn, New York Philharmonic Previous: New Haven Symphony Orchestra Faculty: NYU and Rutgers University
Leelanee Sterrett, horn “At Yale, I learned how to be my own teacher. It was so useful to be seeing a lot of great rep in Philharmonia. We played Bruckner 8 and The Rite of Spring and really big pieces that were possible because we had this large school to draw from.”
undergraduate studies Study at the most musical of the Ivies. For talented musicians, Yale is the obvious choice for its rich performance opportunities and vibrant musical scene. Yale does not offer a bachelor of music degree, but one in three Yalies participates in music on campus, playing in ensembles such as the Yale Symphony Orchestra, taking private lessons, singing choral music or a cappella, or taking courses in the Department of Music, the home of music majors. Annual competitions offer concerto and additional recital opportunities. Yale College New Music features original works by student composers. Singers perform in musical theater and opera productions. Even Yale’s president is a musician, playing bass in a bluegrass band. A liberal arts foundation for a musical career. Yale College alumni have gone on to enjoy rich musical careers, including Marin Alsop, music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Sharon Yamada, first violinist in the New York Philharmonic; Misha Amory, violist of the Brentano String Quartet, among others. International opportunities The Yale Glee Club, Yale Symphony Orchestra, and Yale Concert Band regularly go on tour throughout the world. Recent tours have taken student musicians to places such as Brazil, China, Cuba, Estonia, Ghana, Latvia, Turkey, and South Africa.
Notable Yale College Alumni Marin Alsop Misha Amory Jane Ira Bloom Jonathan Coulton Eliot Fisk Sharon Isbin Charles Ives Rob Kapilow Robert Lopez Charles Neidich Cole Porter Sam Tsui Sharon Yamada
student life Office of International Students & Scholars The Office of International Students and Scholars aims to make the Yale experience as smooth as possible, helping students negotiate visas, employment, and more. OISS also offers activities and social events to help build community.
“Yale is a place where you make what you want out of your education. Everybody has different interests, and that creates an environment that’s really positive. There’s always something that’s going to inspire me that I didn’t expect.” —Benjamin Hoffman ’14mm, dma candidate, violin
Find Your Community Visit the Yale Women’s Center or Office of LGBTQ Resources, or check out the Afro-American Cultural Center, Asian American Cultural Center, La Casa Cultural, or Native American Cultural Center. The Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity also offers support.
McDougal Center for Graduate Student Life The McDougal Center for Graduate Student Life organizes social, arts, cultural, international, sports, spirituality, wellness, and family events for all graduate and professional students and their spouses, partners, and families throughout the year.
“Yale is one of the more well-rounded places in terms of what you’ll learn: it’s not just orchestra, it’s not just chamber music. Everything’s at a fantastically high level. Whatever your niche is, you’re free to pursue it, and you’re likely to find some other people who will, too.” —Fiona Last ’15mm, oboe
Embrace Your Spiritual Life Yale has chaplains of several faiths as well as resources including the Slifka Center for Jewish Life, University Lutheran Ministry, Muslim Students Association, Orthodox Christian Fellowship, Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center, International Church at Yale, Buddhist shrine, and many more.
40% 30
International students
Nations represented by student body
Yale: Immerse Yourself 500 75 2,000 1,000 12
Concerts per year Performance groups Courses to choose from Historical instruments and replicas Graduate professional schools
by the numbers
Yale: A Trove of Musical Treasures 121,000 Musical scores 81,000 Books about music 45,000 Pieces of sheet music 43,000 Recordings 425 Subscriptions to music periodicals
215 Students
2
smallest studio
12 largest studio
$0 Tuition
a rc h ive s of Charles Ives • William Walton • Robert Shaw • Kurt Weill Vladimir Horowitz • Cole Porter • Virgil Thomson
m a n us c rip t s by Claude Debussy • Gustav Mahler and many, many more
Above right: The Grammy-winning ensemble Roomful of Teeth, which includes many Yale alumni.
how to apply Application Deadline: December 1 All applicants must submit the following: 1. Online application and fee 2. Prescreening recordings Details online 3. Résumé or C.V. 4. Three letters of recommendation 5. Academic transcripts
supplemental materials International students
toefl score
Composition applicants
gre score
DMA applicants
See music.yale.edu/apply/dma for details
ISM applicants (choral conducting, organ, and early music voice)
Institute of Sacred Music application: visit ism.yale.edu/admissions
Approximate number of students: 215 Average number of applications: 1,500 Acceptance rate: 10–11% Audition rate: 30–40%
» music.yale.edu/admissions
facebook.com/yalemusic @yalemusic
Visit Us We invite you to come see Yale’s beautiful campus. During the year, you may observe rehearsals and master classes, attend concerts, and meet students and faculty. We can help coordinate your visit:
music.yale.edu/admissions-visit Sprague Hall 98 Wall Street New Haven, CT 203 432-4155 gradmusic.admissions@yale.edu
photographers Dana Astmann Dylan Cross Matthew Fried Bob Handelman Robert Lisak Michael Marsland Judy Sirota Rosenthal Harold Shapiro Cover image: Adelya Nartadjieva ’16mm by Bob Handelman © 2015 by Yale School of Music