Shanghai Conservatory of Music

The Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SHCMusic) is a municipal public college in Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the City of Shanghai and is part of the Double First-Class Construction. The college was founded on November 27, 1927.

The Shanghai Conservatory of Music ranks No.10 in Music and No.30 in Performing Arts in the world by the 2024 QS World University Rankings by subject.

History
The Shanghai Conservatory of Music is a music institute famous at home and abroad. It grew out of the National Conservatory of Music, which was established by Cai Yuanpei on November 27, 1927. Dr. Xiao Youmei (Shio Yiu-mei) was the director of the new school and curriculum. His teachings were based on the Leipzig Conservatory of Music, where he graduated. It was one of the first institutions of higher learning of modern music in China. It was considered the premiere institution for Western music learning. Professors came from as far as Russia and France. Several of the original professors were recruited from Russian emigres who had fled the Russian civil war (1918-1922) to China.



It was renamed several times: National Training School of Music (1929), Branch of National Conservatory of Music (1943), Shanghai National Training School of Music (1945), Shanghai and Huadong Branches of Chinese Conservatory of Music (early 1950s). It received its current name in 1956.

Programs
The Shanghai Conservatory of Music consists of 4 departments. It involves six disciplines and 23 sub-disciplines, some traditional, the others newly developed.

The conservatory supports a high-level music research institute, a specialized music library with a large collection, a first-class museum of Asian instruments, and a unique music publishing house.

A six-year secondary school and a three-year elementary section were established in 1953 and 1956 to prepare better candidates for tertiary education, thus forming a self-contained system with a complete curriculum of music and academic education.

Three art centers integrate teaching, performing and scientific research: Zhou Xiaoyan International Opera Center, International String Academy, and International Piano Art Center. The conservatory has established six performing groups: Symphony Orchestra of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, New Ensemble, String Quartet, Percussion Ensemble, National Music Orchestra and Choir.

Shanghai Conservatory of Music maintains close relationships with many first-class conservatories and famous musicians, including collaborations with schools in the US, France, UK, Russia, Netherlands, Australia, Austria, Germany and Japan. Many internationally well-known musicians such as Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Yuri Shishkin, Leon Fleisher, Pinchas Zukerman, Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Yo-Yo Ma have served as honorary or guest professors.

Rankings and reputation
As of 2021, Shanghai Conservatory of Music ranked no.4 nationwide among universities specialized in Arts in the recognized Best Chinese Universities Ranking and ranked the best in China in the "Music and Dance" subject.

Shanghai Conservatory of Music is regarded as the most prestigious music and arts school in China. It ranked 2nd in China after (the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing) and 43rd in the world by the 2022 QS World University Rankings in Performing Arts. It ranks No.10 in Music and No.30 in Performing Arts in the world by the 2024 QS World University Rankings by subject.

Other Departments

 * General Education
 * School of Marxism
 * Secondary Professional Music School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music

Faculty and student body
The conservatory has 50 professors and 120 associate professors. There are approximately 1,200 students.

Faculty

 * Wen Kezheng (1929–2007), former Director of the Vocal Music and Opera Department
 * Liao Changyong, Vice President of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Director of the Vocal Music and Opera Department (also alumnus)
 * Zhu Jian'er (1922-2017), Chinese symphonic composer and songwriter
 * Vladimir Shushlin (1896-1978), Russian vocal teacher
 * He Luting (1903-1999), alumnus and former conservatory director. The main music hall on campus was later named after him.

Alumni

 * Lü Ji - composer of revolutionary music
 * Ding Shande - composer
 * Wang Jianzhong - composer and pianist
 * Min Huifen - erhu musician
 * Muhai Tang - conductor
 * He Xuntian - composer, professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music
 * Rui Shi Zhuo - composer
 * Jampa Tsering - singer and dancer
 * Yang Erche Namu - writer and singer
 * Jian Wang - cellist
 * Liu Fang - pipa musician
 * Jiaxin Cheng - cellist
 * Du Yun - composer, performer, performance artist
 * Yu Di - singer
 * Cai Chengyu - opera singer
 * Yu-Peng Chen - composer and music producer
 * Zhou Yi - pipa musician