In 1857, philanthropist George Peabody founded the institute that bears his name — the first academy of music to be established in America — in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon Square with the idea of bringing culture to the city’s residents. Under the direction of well-known musicians, composers, conductors, and Peabody alumni, the Institute grew from a local academy to an internationally renowned cultural center throughout the late 19th and the 20th centuries. From visits by Peter Tchaikovsky to Leonard Bernstein, to lectures by Ralph and Igor Stravinsky, the Peabody Institute has seen some of history’s most revered talent walk through its doors.

Since 1977, the Institute has operated as a division of The Johns Hopkins University, which U.S. News & World Report cites as one of America’s top ten universities. Because of this affiliation, Peabody students are exposed to a liberal arts curriculum that is more expansive than those of other leading conservatories; likewise, Hopkins students have access to a world-class musical education and experience that they could not access at another university of such stature.

Today, the Peabody continues to build its international reputation. The National University of Singapore is collaborating with the Peabody to establish the Singapore Conservatory of Music — the first such collaboration between a leading American conservatory of music and a leading university in the Asia Pacific region.