The Mannes School of Music

A school for fearless artists

Top Classical, September 2022
Established as a community music school, Mannes soon evolved into the world-class college conservatory it is today. It was more than a century ago that violinist-conductor David Mannes and his wife, pianist Clara Damrosch Mannes, launched a small, innovative conservatory on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.. The school was founded in 1916 and quickly grew in fame and attracted teachers such as: conductor George Szell, the composers Georges Enesco and Bohuslav Martinů, and Hans Weisse. 

In 1940, the couples’ son Leopold Mannes transformed the school and obtained a charter from the State of New York to become a degree-granting college. 

In 2015, Mannes left the West 85th Street location they’d used for 30 years and claimed space in Arnhold Hall, the New School’s new multipurpose building on West 13th Street. 

While the Mannes School of Music has seen a lot of change, including relocation to the West Side, the conservatory endures as a vital institution Mannes School of Music, draw inspiration from the legendary and innovative students. Over the decades, Mannes has been house of notable graduates, including mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and pianists Murray Perahia and Richard Goode. 

The Mannes School of Music prides itself on creating “fearless artists” by offering its students a dynamic integration of rigorous training and real-world experience to make their musical careers a reality. Mannes is dedicated to advancing the creative role of music in all aspects of a rapidly changing society. Mannes aim is to develop citizen artists who engage with the world around them through music, in traditional, new, and emergent forms of practice. Today, with a new mission, Mannes is requiring its students to improvise and compose, be technologically fluent, and develop deep skills in community engagement and entrepreneurship. 

Part of the New School University, the Mannes School of Music resides in New York City, attracting students from all over the globe who dive headfirst into Manhattan and form part of one of the world’s most bustling cultural hubs. 

For music students looking for a balance between tradition and an awareness of the rapidly changing demands of the profession, Mannes is an excellent choice.