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| Type | Privatemusic school |
|---|---|
| Established | 1857; 168 years ago (1857) |
Parent institution | Johns Hopkins University |
| Dean | Fred Bronstein |
| Undergraduates | 385 (Fall 2022)[1] |
| Location | ,, United States 39°17′50″N76°36′54″W / 39.2973°N 76.615°W /39.2973; -76.615 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | www |
 | |
ThePeabody Institute of theJohns Hopkins University is aprivate music and danceconservatory and preparatory school inBaltimore,Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliated with Johns Hopkins in 1977.[2]
Philanthropist andmerchantGeorge Peabody (1795–1869) founded the institute in 1857 and opened it in 1866 with a bequest of about $800,000.[3] This sum, from his personal fortune, was amassed initially in Massachusetts and later augmented in Baltimore (where he lived and worked from 1815 to 1835). It vastly increased through banking and finance during following residences in New York City and London, where he became the wealthiest American of his time.[4]
Completion of the white marbleGrecian-Italianate west wing, the original building housing the institute, designed byEdmund George Lind, was delayed by theCivil War. It was dedicated in 1866, with Peabody, having traveled across the NorthAtlantic Ocean, speaking at the ceremonies on the front steps in front of theWashington Monument circle before a large audience of notaries and citizens including hundreds of assembled pupils from the Baltimore City Public Schools.[5] Under the direction of well-known musicians, composers, conductors, and Peabody alumni, the conservatory, concerts, lecture series, library and art gallery, along with the "Peabody Prizes" (an annual awarding of gold, silver and bronze medals with certificates and cash to top graduates of the city), attracted a considerable national attention to the Institute and the city's growing culture.[citation needed] Under strong academic leadership, the Peabody evolved into an internationally renowned cultural and literary center through the late 19th and the 20th centuries, especially after a major expansion in 1877–1878, with the completion of its eastern half housing theGeorge Peabody Library with five stacked tiers of wrought iron balconies holding book stacks(shelves), surmounted by a beveled glass skylight, one of the most beautiful and distinctive libraries in the U.S.[6][failed verification]
The 1878 east wing on East Mount Vernon Place, containing the affiliated George Peabody Library, joined the other rows of townhouses, mansions, art gallery, clubs, hotels, and churches around theWashington Monument which developed into theMount Vernon neighborhood on the former estate ofRevolutionary War commanderJohn Eager Howard. The institute grew from a local academy, with an art and sculpture gallery, public lecture series, and the extensive reference library which, although non-circulating, predated the first public library system in America. The library was created and endowed in 1882 by Peabody's friendEnoch Pratt. In turn, both Peabody and Pratt inspired the expansive philanthropic efforts of Scottish-American steel tycoonAndrew Carnegie.
In 1955, Peabody inaugurated asacred music department led by Arthur Howes, which is now defunct.[7]
Itselectronic music department, founded by composerJean Eichelberger Ivey in 1967, was the first in any American conservatory, and remains the home of two historicMoog modular synthesizers from its first decade in operation.[8]
In 1978, Peabody began working with Baltimore'sJohns Hopkins University under an affiliation agreement.
In 1985, the institute officially became a constituent school of Johns Hopkins.
Peabody is one of 156 schools in the United States that offers aDoctorate of Musical Arts degree. It houses two libraries: the historicalGeorge Peabody Library (originally the Peabody Institute Library) established when the Institute opened in 1866, renowned for its collection of 19th-century and other rare books; and an additional music reference academic library, theArthur Friedheim Library (named for the Russian-born pianist/ conductor), that includes more than 100,000 books, scores, and recordings.
The conservatory was later supplemented by a preparatory school and auditorium. "Peabody Prizes" are awarded to top high school graduates beginning the following year at commencement exercises and continued for 122 years as an annual tradition with public announcements to city media.
Additional structures along East Centre Street and Saint Paul Street, including a parking garage and twodormitory towers, were constructed in 1971. During the early 1990s, several remaining townhouses on East Mount Vernon Place to the east intersection with St. Paul were acquired and rebuilt, along with other townhouses with distinctive iron scrollwork balconies facing North Charles Street to the south. This enabled The Peabody to round out its tight campus of attached buildings to the entire city block bounded by Charles (Washington Place), Monument (Mount Vernon Place), St. Paul, and Centre Streets.
The Peabody campus is included in theMount Vernon Place Historic District, which was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places and designated aNational Historic Landmark District in 1971. The main building on Mount Vernon Place, built during 1857-1878, was designated aBaltimore City Landmark on October 14, 1975.[9]
Peabody Preparatory offers instruction and enrichment programs for school-age children across various sites in Baltimore and its surrounding counties: "Downtown" (Baltimore, main campus),Towson,Annapolis (Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts) andHoward County (in cooperation with three schools).[10]
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In the 1980 novelJacob Have I Loved byKatherine Paterson, the character Caroline Bradshaw attends a summer program at Peabody in order to further her training as a singer.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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