About BW Conservatory of Performing Arts
More Than 125 Years of BW Excellence
For more than 125 years the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music has advanced its reputation as a nationally recognized and NASM accredited undergraduate training ground for students pursuing careers in performance, music education, music theatre, music therapy, music industry, composition, theory, history and literature.
Performing Arts Takes Center Stage
With the expansion in 2024 to a Conservatory of Performing Arts, the Conservatory has elevated the performing arts at BW, including our distinctive programs in theatre, dance and arts management and entrepreneurship. This move reflects the ever-changing landscape of the arts in society and our efforts to emphasize the collaborative nature of the arts at BW.
More than 500 students (17% of BW undergraduate students) are currently pursuing degree programs through the Conservatory of Performing Arts. Baldwin Wallace is a place where creativity, innovation, excellence and collaboration are celebrated with great fervor.
Our Industry Connections Become Your Connections
We are committed to assisting students as they make professional industry connections and open doors to experiences beyond the BW campus. Our relationships within with the arts communities of Northeast Ohio and beyond run deep. Faculty members are professionally engaged with The Cleveland Orchestra, Playhouse Square, Cleveland Playhouse, Great Lakes Theatre, Idaho & Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals, BlueWater Chamber Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, Akron Symphony, Cleveland Opera Theatre, Beck Center for the Arts … and the list goes on. Our intention is that our connections become your connections, and we are here to help you leverage those relationships.
One thing we know for certain: Every industry values the transferable skills that training in the arts develops. Whether or not you choose to pursue the arts further after graduation, music and theatre are tremendously savvy choices for an undergraduate major.
We invite you to explore the diverse curricula, the vast array of performances, and the inspired creative community that represents the BW Conservatory of Performing Arts.
Our Mission
The Baldwin Wallace Conservatory is an educational and artistic community whose mission is to inspire students of all ages to explore, understand, and realize authentic artistic expression. We empower students to become artist-citizens and advocates, advancing the transformative and healing power of the performing arts through pedagogy, scholarship, entrepreneurship, creation, and performance.
Our Values
The BW Conservatory of Performing Arts commits to:
- Support creative learning in a diverse and inclusive environment
- Build community through the performing arts
- Foster interdisciplinary collaboration within the university and the region
- Promote the development of student-artists through outstanding pedagogy
- Provide relevant career opportunities for students
Conservatory Leadership
Susan D. Van Vorst, Dean, Conservatory of Performing Arts
Beth Hiser, Associate Dean, Music
Bryan Bowser, Associate Dean, Theatre Arts & Entrepreneurship
Matthew Miller, Director of Performing Arts Admission
Erika Haskell, Director, Community Arts School
Contact the Conservatory
Main office: (440) 826-2369
Conservatory Admission: (440) 826-2368, (440) 826-3239 (fax), music@dbctl.com