Shepherd School of Music
Overview
Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music cultivates the mastery of musical performance, combining a conservatory experience with the educational opportunities of a leading research university. With an enrollment of just 285 students, Shepherd fosters a close-knit, highly supportive environment defined by individualized instruction and exceptional artistic standards.
Each music major fine-tunes their craft with world-class teachers—accomplished artists and scholars in their own right—who are dedicated to nurturing talent and professional success. Through intensive mentorship and personalized training, students gain the skills, experience, and artistic voice needed to accelerate artistic growth and build distinguished careers.
In just 50 years, the Shepherd School of Music has risen to international prominence, becoming one of the youngest and most prestigious university-level programs in the country.
Degrees and Areas of Study
The Shepherd School of Music offers Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Artist Diploma, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. Students specialize in composition, conducting, music history, orchestral instruments, organ, piano, and voice/opera studies.
Our Faculty and Students
75 acclaimed artist-teachers mentor 285 Shepherd School students in a highly personalized environment. This 1:4 ratio equips students with the skills they need to grow as artists and build successful careers in classical music.
Shepherd Orchestras
From its inception in 1975, the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University has emphasized orchestral training as a central element in its performing curriculum. The orchestral program comprises a Symphony Orchestra and a Chamber Orchestra, both of equal caliber, distinguished only by the repertoire they perform. Players rehearse three times per week and benefit from sectionals led by Shepherd’s experienced faculty. Learn more about Shepherd orchestras’ legacy of excellence.
Shepherd Opera
In just over 40 years, the opera department at the Shepherd School of Music has become one of the nation’s premier training grounds for young vocalists. With fewer than 40 voice students enrolled each year, participants receive intensive mentorship from distinguished faculty and visiting guests from the professional opera world. Students perform in fully staged productions with orchestra in Brockman Hall for Opera, a theater specifically designed to accommodate younger singers’ voices, as well as chamber opera and scenes programs, gaining significant stage experience in a professional setting. Read more about the history of Shepherd’s opera program, from humble beginnings to its meteoric rise.
Spaces Worthy of Art
Our venues are designed to feel as welcoming as they are inspiring. The Brockman Music and Performing Arts Center includes Alice Pratt Brown Hall (opened in 1991) and Brockman Hall for Opera (opened in 2022), both vibrant spaces where students, faculty, and the Houston community gather to learn, rehearse, and experience music. The Shepherd School presents more than 400 performances annually by our talented students, celebrated faculty, and renowned visiting artists, setting a new standard for university-level musical performance
Alice Pratt Brown Hall is the home of Stude Concert Hall, Duncan Recital Hall, Edythe Bates Old Recital Hall and Grand Organ, Wortham Theatre, and Hirsch Orchestra Rehearsal Hall.
Across the plaza from Alice Pratt Brown Hall, Brockman Hall for Opera’s Lucian and Nancy Morrison Theater is a 600-seat, one-of-a-kind European-style theater with state-of-the-art acoustics and room for 70 orchestra members in the pit. In addition to Morrison Theater, Brockman Hall for Opera includes the Dean’s Rehearsal Hall and Tudor Patrons’ Lounge. Learn more about Shepherd’s unique spaces.
Music, Mind, and Body Lab
The Music, Mind, and Body Lab brings together artists and scientists to advance inquiries into music and creativity and their contributions to quality of life. The Lab focuses on experiments involving free-living, real-world stimuli and open-ended research questions to better understand neuroplasticity, neural dynamics, and individual and cultural differences as they relate to music and imagination. The Lab is rooted both in the Shepherd School of Music and the Medical Humanities Research Institute. Learn more about the Music, Mind and Body Lab.