conservatory

Your Support Matters

Donor support allows Conservatory of Music students to concentrate on their education and begin their careers without large sums of debt. All Conservatory students receive full scholarships including tuition, room, and board. $9.9 million in scholarship support was awarded to students in the Conservatory of Music in 2022–23, representing 131 students and a scholarship award of $76,000 of support per student.

The Conservatory of Music opened in 2003 with one goal: to train the very highest level of classical instrumental performers for careers in music. As the Conservatory celebrates its 20th anniversary, students continue to enjoy a tradition of outstanding performance opportunities, unparalleled faculty, and full scholarships and grants covering tuition, room, and board. Our highly regarded program trains young artists to become dynamic soloists and the next generation of chamber and orchestral musicians.

Faculty Spotlights

Tatjana Masurenko, Richard D. Colburn Viola Chair

In 2022, Colburn announced that Tatjana Masurenko would be the inaugural Richard D. Colburn Viola Chair, made possible by the generosity of the Colburn Foundation. Known for her passion for contemporary music as well as traditional compositions, Masurenko introduces students to a wide array of perspectives. Her career has taken her around the globe, performing with venerated musicians, and teaching in prestigious institutions, including the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg and the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne.

Aaron Tindall, Tuba

Aaron Tindall joins the brass faculty of the Colburn Conservatory and the Music Academy in fall 2023. His students have accepted positions with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Florida Orchestra, U.S. Navy Band, U.S. Air Force Band, the West Point Band, and others. In addition to playing with orchestras and bands worldwide, Tindall has competed in a multitude of international competitions. He has been named an International Yamaha Performing Artist and Denis Wick-London artist and design specialist.

Student Spotlight

Quartet Integra, Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence

Kyoka Misawa, violin; Rintaro Kikuno, violin; Itsuki Yamamoto, viola; and Anri Tsukiji, cello; found their unified voice as Quartet Integra in 2015, and had already accumulated numerous accolades before being accepted as the second Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence at Colburn. Just one month into their time at Colburn, Quartet Integra earned both second prize and the Audience Prize at the 2022 ARD International Music Competition in Munich, Germany.

As Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence, they have multiple opportunities to fine-tune and further develop their persona before a variety of audiences. In addition to their appearance at the ARD competition, Quartet Integra performed on Colburn’s Discovering Debussy series, appeared at Tokyo Opera City and Suntory Hall, and participated in the Quartet Festival Charity Concert for Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine in Los Angeles, among many other 2022–23 engagements.

They are the latest in a long line of celebrated Colburn string quartets—the School has also played an influential role in the development of the Viano Quartet, Calidore Quartet, and Calder Quartet.

Colburn Orchestra

This season, critics and audiences alike applauded the Colburn Orchestra at venues throughout Southern California. Students stepped onto the stages of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium, Beverly Hills’ The Wallis, and Orange County’s Soka Center for the Performing Arts.

Conservatory students learn under the baton of visiting conductors and Music Director Yehuda Gilad. See page 27 for a complete list of guest conductors in the 2022–23 season.

conservatory micro-courses

Micro-courses offer a variety of life lessons for artists in the 21st century. Topics cover career concerns such as budgeting and finance, personal brand development, speaking from the stage, bio and résumé creation, and creating video content for social media. Micro-courses are provided by Colburn’s Center for Innovation and Community Impact.

student success Awards and Competitions

Each year, Conservatory students win top prizes in competitions worldwide. Highlights from 2022 and 2023 include:

Canadian Music Competition, International Stepping Stone

Carl Nielsen International Competition, Special Prize Winner

Casagrande International Piano Competition, Second Prize

Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox International Competition, Honorable Mention

Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, Senior Wind Division, Bronze Medal

Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann, Third Prize and Haydn Cello Concerto Prize

Kronberg Academy Landgraf von Hessen Award

Naftzger Young Artists Competition, Winds/Brass/Percussion Category, First Prize

Paderewski International Piano Competition, Best Performance Prize

Stulberg International String Competition, Finalist

Professional Positions

Colburn Conservatory graduates are performing around the world. Graduating students and alumni won the following positions in 2022 and 2023:

Atlanta Symphony, Section Cello

Baltimore Symphony, Principal Percussion

Boise Philharmonic, Bass Trombone

Charlotte Symphony, Section First Violin

Florida Orchestra, Principal Bass

Naples Philharmonic, Assistant Principal/2nd Trumpet

New World Symphony Fellowships

New York Philharmonic, Fourth Horn

North Carolina Symphony, Associate Principal Second Violin

Opéra National de Lyon (France), Principal Clarinet

Oregon Symphony, English Horn

Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid (Spain), Principal Clarinet

Pacific Symphony, Associate Concertmaster

Pershing’s Own United States Army Band, Section Horn

Pittsburgh Symphony, Associate Principal Flute

San Diego Symphony, Second Clarinet and Section Violin

Santa Rosa Symphony, Section Percussion

Singapore Symphony, Principal Second Violin

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Principal Bassoon

Victoria Symphony (Canada), Principal Flute

Anne Akiko Meyers

Graduating from the Colburn Conservatory deserves a notable send-off, and who better to advise graduates about the exciting journey on which they are about to embark than important figures in the arts and culture world? This year, graduates heard from Anne Akiko Meyers, a renowned violinist and a Colburn School alumna. Meyers regularly performs around the world as soloist with leading orchestras, in recital, and as a prolific recording artist with more than 40 releases. She delivered the keynote speech to 60 students of the graduating class—the largest in the Conservatory’s history.