By Mark Small
Located on the banks of scenic Lake Michigan, a dozen miles north of Chicago, lies the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. For decades, Bienen’s top-shelf programs have made it a prime destination for serious classical performers, composers, music educators, and scholars pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. The school began in 1895 as a conservatory that was incorporated into what was then Northwestern University Women’s College. That makes Bienen (pronounced Bee-nenn) one of the oldest degree-granting music schools in America.
Thomas Crespo, Bienen’s Assistant Dean for Admission and Financial Aid, describes Northwestern as a medium-sized university with 8,000 undergraduate students enrolled in its schools of business, education, law, engineering, medicine, music, and more. “Northwestern is not a really large university when compared to other state universities,” Crespo says, “but Bienen’s music program is bigger than those at smaller liberal arts colleges and conservatories.”
With 400 undergraduate students and 200 graduate students, Bienen is a mid-sized institution that has been ranked America’s number two music school by Niche.com. In addition to the musical offerings, students have access to the resources of a high-caliber university, as well as extra-curricular activities. The school spirit generated by Northwestern’s NCAA Division One athletic programs adds another aspect to campus life.
Classical and Jazz Offerings
Bienen School of Music is primarily known for its classical curriculum taught by those among its 125 distinguished faculty members. The school offers Bachelor of Music degrees in performance with studio teachers for all orchestral instruments (including harp), as well as piano, classical guitar, and voice. Other majors include composition, music theory, music education, music cognition, and musicology. In the school’s seven performance venues, Bienen students have ample opportunities to play with 17 major ensembles that include orchestral, choral, wind, and chamber groups. Additionally, Bienen presents three fully staged operas annually.
Classical Studies Faculty at Bienen
A number of the classical faculty members are current or former members of major U.S. symphonies, including the Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia Orchestras, the New York Philharmonic, and more. Others hail from the renowned opera companies of Chicago, Santa Fe, and the New York Met. It’s noteworthy that Bienen’s student-to-faculty ratio is 5:1, so students receive plenty of individual attention.
Jazz Studies & Faculty at Bienen School of Music
In addition to its classical bona fides, Bienen also has a stellar jazz studies program that has become well established during its 20-year history on campus. Crespo points to its highly accomplished 11-member jazz faculty, which includes brass, woodwind, percussion, piano, bass, and guitar players who are active jazz performers, composers, and recording artists working with noted ensembles in Chicago and beyond. “Half of our jazz faculty members are Chicago-based and half are New York-based,” Crespo states. “The New York faculty are involved with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, while those from Chicago come from a different tradition. They represent two different schools of thought in jazz, so our students are exposed to both the Chicago and New York scenes in the same department.”
On average, there are 30 jazz majors in the program pursuing either Bachelor of Music or Master of Music degrees in jazz studies. Students are afforded many opportunities to hone their skills in ensembles ranging from small combos to a full jazz orchestra. Beinen’s proximity to the vibrant Chicago jazz scene is a bonus that gives students the chance to hear major jazz artists passing through the Windy City or to play gigs with their own groups.
A Brass Program with the Highest International Reputation
For more than 50 years, Northwestern’s brass program has enjoyed the highest international reputation as well as a close relationship with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Faculty includes current and former members of the Minnesota, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis Symphony orchestras. Alumni hold positions in performing and academic institutions worldwide, including the New York, Los Angeles, and Berlin philharmonics; Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Houston, Toronto, and Pittsburgh symphony orchestras; and US Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine, and Navy bands.
World-Renowned Strings Faculty
Northwestern’s strings faculty boasts some of the world’s foremost pedagogues and internationally renowned solo/chamber musicians as well as current and former Chicago, Detroit, and Milwaukee symphony orchestra and Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra members. Alumni appointments include the Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Hawaii, Minnesota, and Swedish Radio, and Detroit symphony orchestras; San Diego and Houston symphonies; Cleveland Orchestra; and Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra.
Standout Programs
Bienen’s Opera Department is the largest department in the school, which Crespo describes as a “powerhouse.” Of the 600 music students enrolled, 100 are vocalists. Many graduates of the department go on to work with professional opera companies and young artist programs. A recent issue of Fanfare (Bienen’s alumni magazine) shared news of several alumni named winners in various Metropolitan Opera competitions.
Double Majoring or Minoring in Music
The option to undertake a double major or to minor in a non-music discipline holds promise for glimpsing new horizons. “Students find that there are a lot of things to explore here,” continues Crespo. “Those who choose a double major, dual degree, or join a student club find doors opening up for them that they hadn’t anticipated when they started. A lot of graduates find a successful career that wasn’t what they were imagining from the get-go.”
Educational Breadth
Bienen has a strong Music Education Department that offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees. The program includes options for double majors and independent study. As noted on the school’s website, “Classes are small so that students receive individual attention from faculty who are vitally interested in issues of creative and critical thinking, philosophically based education, student-centered learning, issues of social context, and music technology.” Niche.com has stated: “The [Bienen] PhD program in music education is considered one of the finest anywhere.”
The Music Theory and Cognition program grants an array of undergraduate and graduate degrees that explore not only music theory, but music meaning and perception, the cultural and historical significance of music, new technology, and much more.
Bienen’s Music Admission Process
Crespo shared that Bienen’s conservatory-style music program within a rigorous academic university setting draws top applicants. “Generally, our students were overachievers in high school who threw themselves into many areas of interest and continue that mindset by getting involved in lots of things on campus as they seek to find themselves,” Crespo states. “They are very motivated and self-disciplined because our program is challenging both musically and academically.”
“For some, it can be intimidating to think about applying if they don’t have a 36 ACT score or 4.0 GPA,” Crespo adds. “But, students come here from a variety of academic backgrounds and become really successful. We consider a lot of things in our application process.”
Applicants submit materials to both Northwestern University and the Bienen School of Music. The academic credentials are reviewed by the university’s central admissions staff, which is the practice for students applying to any of the university’s other schools. Bienen applicants submit their music materials for consideration by the music admissions staff.
“We have a holistic review process here,” Crespo explains. “Each item in a student’s application is given equal weight. We make our admissions decisions in coordination with central admissions to come up with our final list of admitted students.”
In all but two situations, applicants come to the Evanston campus for a live audition. International students who can’t get a travel visa in time or others with a financial reason why they can’t get to campus, are the only exceptions. After case-by-case consideration, those applicants can be allowed to submit a prerecorded audition.
Connections and Careers for Bienen’s Music Majors
The previously mentioned Fanfare magazine documents the efforts of a professionally diverse cadre of high-achieving alumni who have won composition competitions, received prestigious grants, secured positions as music directors, conductors, and instrumentalists for a variety of orchestras and ensembles. Others are engaged in innovative research, have received faculty appointments at top institutions, released albums in a variety of genres, or netted Emmy and Grammy nominations for their work. Other Bienen graduates are pursuing careers not directly related to performance, but adjacent to it, and are serving as pathfinders in the arts from behind the scenes.
“Even though Bienen is a smaller music school, there are many on- and off-campus opportunities for the students,” says Crespo. “It’s a great environment offering a lot of exposure. Alongside that, you have this great academic university where students can broaden their horizons, explore, and challenge themselves. This is a great place for them to start out as musicians, scholars, and people.”
Considering the Bienen School of Music?
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Mark Small
Mark Small, classical guitarist, composer, and music journalist, has spent the majority of his life in New England. He has composed classical, jazz, pop, and sacred music for chorus, wind ensemble, orchestra, piano, and guitar. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in classical guitar performance from New England Conservatory and California State University, Fullerton. He also studied guitar and composition at Berklee College of Music, and served for 26 years as editor ofBerklee todaymagazine until his retirement in 2018.
An active music journalist, Mark has written forGuitar Player, DownBeat, Acoustic Guitar, Soundboard, Classical Guitar, and other music publications.