Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music

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The Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music is part of Baldwin-Wallace College which is located in Berea in the U.S. state of Ohio. The main building, Kulas Hall, is located at 96 Front Street. The Conservatory is home to the oldest collegiate Bach Festival in the nation.

The conservatory was founded in 1898 by Dr. Albert Riemenschneider. Before this time, music classes were offered at the Baldwin Institute for one dollar extra per term. In 1912, land donated by the citizens of Berea was used to expand the institution and improve the facilities for music. The Kulas Musical Arts Building was constructed, housing a $25,000 pipe organ. Later, the Conservatory would expand into an adjacent residence hall (Merner-Pfeiffer Hall) and an enclosed bridge was constructed connecting the two buildings.

The Ferne Patterson Jones Music Library is located in the basement of Merner-Pfeiffer Hall. The library contains nearly 40,000 items, including approximately 13,000 volumes of printed music.

On July 1, 2007 Peter Landgren took over director of the Conservatory. Landgren last served as interim director of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. Under its new leadership, the Conservatory plans a $20 million expansion which will include renovation and modernization of existing facilities and the possible acquisition of the First Congregational United Church of Christ building adjacent to the Conservatory to be converted into additional class, office and performance space.