Building a career in the performing arts can be gruelling. Behind every performance are years of training and hard work. At Manhattan School of Music (MSM), one of the world’s premier music conservatories for classical music, jazz, and musical theatre, this pursuit of artistic excellence is at the heart of everything it does.
“As MSM continues to grow, our focus remains the same: to empower people to realise their potential through music,” says President Dr. James Gandre.
MSM gives you the rare chance to study music in NYC — and be a part of it in the heart of it. This unique environment attracts more than 1,000 students from over 50 countries and nearly every US state, along with another 475 students in the Precollege Division and a teaching-artist faculty that is second to none.
From here, talent is met with opportunity – with many students emerging as success stories.
Piano graduates go on to win Grammys, medals, and positions with prestigious orchestras. Source: Manhattan School of Music
Programmes that turn potential into poise
Willany Darias completed her Bachelor and Master of Music in the MSM piano programme, where students develop technical skills and explore musical structure, harmony, and common Italian, German, and French music terminology.
“My time at Manhattan School of Music has not only been a dream come true but also the most enriching experience of my life,” says the graduate.
Across campus, the Musical Theatre programme offers a different but equally demanding path. It is the only stand-alone conservatory programme in NYC, and it is rigorous. You will work towards a fully accredited bachelor’s degree while working on full-scale productions and collaborating with professional writers to develop your own creative projects.
Meanwhile, the Vocal Arts Division trains aspiring singers in classical voice, collaborative piano, opera theatre, and more. For graduate Rachel Steinbacher, the experience was unforgettable. “When I began studying classical voice, I never dreamed that I would have this privilege of studying at a prestigious place like MSM with such incredible professors,” she says.
One of those professors is Joan Patenaude-Yarnell, an internationally recognised recitalist who has worked with renowned conductors such as Sir Charles Mackerras, Charles Dutoit, and Seiji Ozawa. Her MSM students have gone on to perform with leading opera companies and are winners of the George London Foundation Awards, Puccini Foundation Awards, and more.
MSM’s venues support diverse performances, including Baroque opera, contemporary productions, and chamber music concerts. Source: Manhattan School of Music
Those who excel reach the stars
At MSM, success stories like these are anything but rare. Many graduates go on to become stars in their respective fields.
Among them is pianist Isabelle O’Connell, the winner of the 2025–26 Fulbright Association Alumni Award. She is also a co-founder of Grand Band, hailed by The New York Times as “six of the finest, busiest pianists active in New York’s contemporary-classical scene.”
Vocal Arts alumna Shelén Hughes Camacho advanced to the semi-finals of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and was one of the winners of the 2025 George and Nora London Foundation Competition. She’s opened the season for the New York Festival of Song at the Kaufman Music Center as well, with a performance “South America, North America – A Love Story.”
Graduates from the Musical Theatre programme have stepped into prominent roles on major stages too. Sarah Thorn had a big 2025, having appeared in the Broadway production of Othello, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, and Off-Broadway’s This World of Tomorrow, written by and featuring actor Tom Hanks. Kianna Kelly-Futch is performing through April 2026 as swing for the roles of Zelma, Bodacious Lady, Alline, and the Ikettes, while working as Assistant Dance Captain on the Broadway national tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.
She believes her time at MSM helped her discover her artistic voice. “I’ve learned that being yourself gets you the results you want rather than trying to impersonate someone that you are not,” she shares.
Stories like this show what an MSM education can spark. “MSM has not only opened up so many possibilities for my career but also shaped me as a person by connecting me with wonderful mentors and lifetime friends,” says alumna Yoonshin Song.
It is a reminder that talent grows best when people believe in you. As Kelly‑Futch puts it, “MSM will challenge you beyond your limits and will help you develop your own triple-threat, emerging-artist brand in return. Always believe that you can and will achieve!”
In the end, these journeys prove something simple: when you study with MSM in the heart of New York City, those who excel really do reach the stars.
Follow Manhattan School of Music on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok