The Colburn School is a music, dance, and drama school located in downtown Los Angeles adjacent to the Museum of Contemporary Art and across the street from the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It consists of three parts – the School of Performing Arts which has open enrollment and serves children in the community through age 18, the select, pre-college Colburn Academy, and the Conservatory of Music.
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The school was originally established in 1950 as a preparatory arm of the USC Thornton School of Music, and was located across the street from the Shrine Auditorium, in a warehouse which had been converted into extra USC practice rooms, rehearsal halls, and dance studios. It later broadened its mission and changed its name to the Community School of Performing Arts. In 1980, it finalized its split with USC and branched out on its own. In 1985, the school received a significant endowment from Richard D. Colburn, and it was re-named in his honor. It moved from its original location near the USC campus to its current location in 1998.[1]
The Conservatory of Music was established in 2003 and offers a Bachelor of Music degree, a Performance Diploma, an Artist's Diploma, and a Professional Studies Certificate to students. The Conservatory offers full scholarship, housing, and stipends to all of its students.
The school's main building was designed by the architectural firm Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates and includes the Lloyd Wright designed studio of Jascha Heifetz, which was originally situated in Heifetz's backyard, and was saved from demolition and rebuilt on the second floor of the school's Grand Avenue building.
Also located in the building is Zipper Hall, a small concert venue that hosts professional as well as student performances throughout the year. The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra have both performed chamber music concerts in the facility.
The Conservatory expansion was designed by Pfeiffer Associates (after Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer split up).