Boston University

Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is a small, conservatory-style school within a major university, offering outstanding professional training in music, the theater, and visual arts. The college was begun as the College of Music in 1873 and is the oldest degree-granting school of music in the nation.

The school offers the Bachelor of Music, the Master of Music, the Doctor of Musical Arts, the Artist Diploma, the Performance Diploma, and a certificate from the Opera Institute. The school prepares its students for careers as performers, composers, educators, and scholars. The faculty members are committed to providing outstanding opportunities for students to study, create, and perform.

Campus Surroundings

Boston University—independent, coeducational, nonsectarian—is an internationally recognized center of higher education and research. The University is located in the heart of Boston, along the banks of the Charles River and adjacent to the historic Back Bay district of Boston. Boston University is perfectly situated to enjoy both the charm and beauty of the city and its cultural and recreational attractions. Boston is a city rich in music, and students have the opportunity to listen to some of the world’s greatest musicians. Students benefit from the many major musical organizations, museums and galleries, and theaters that make Boston a rich and varied cultural environment.

Program Facilities

The College of Fine Arts houses a 485-seat concert hall, music studios and practice rooms, a curriculum lab, recording studio and three electronic music studios. Students also perform at the 650-seat Tsai Performance Center on the campus. The Boston University Symphony performs annually at Boston’s Symphony Hall. The Opera Institute performs at the Boston University Theatre, an 850-seat proscenium house that is also the home of the Huntingdon Theatre Company.

Faculty, Resident Artists, and Alumni

The School of Music thrives under the instruction of some of the world’s top musicians. The faculty includes accomplished solo performers as well as members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Lyric Opera, the Boston Pops, and the Handel and Hayden Society. The Muir String quartet and Allea III, a contemporary music ensemble, are in residence. Boston Baroque, America’s leading Baroque orchestra and chorus, is the resident ensemble in support of the school’s historic performance program. Notable alumni include Fred A. Bronstein, President of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Ikuno Mizuno-Spire, the first woman to play first violin with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Peter Chapman, trumpet, the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Edward Atkatz, percussion, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; opera singers Dominique LaBelle and Stephen Salters; and Anthony Tommasini, music critic of the New York Times.

Special Programs

Students at the Boston University College of Fine Arts may take advantage of a wide range of academic and extracurricular activities. Through the Collaborative Degree Program (BUCOP), students may obtain a dual degree in two of the University’s schools and colleges and can minor in liberal arts, communications, or business. Students are encouraged to spend the fall semester of their junior year at the Royal College of Music in London.

Application Procedures

Deadline--freshmen: January 1; transfers: April 1. Notification date--freshmen and transfers: June 1. Required: essay, high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, 2 letters of recommendation, audition, SAT or ACT test scores, portfolio for composition majors. Recommended: minimum 3.0 high school GPA, interview, resumé. Auditions held 40 times on campus and off campus in various cities; recorded music is permissible as a substitute for live auditions when distance is prohibitive (beyond a 300-mile radius). Portfolio reviews held as needed on campus.