It is not just a conservatory. It is a global symbol of creative freedom, mastery, and high standards, where the future musicians, dancers, actors, and playwrights who are changing the world of the stage are born. And it all began with one person’s dream—to make America a musical nation. Read on newyork1.one to find out how that happened and what it led to.
From Dream to Legend: The History of the Juilliard School
In the early 20th century, when young Americans were massively heading overseas in search of a musical education, German-American conductor Frank Damrosch decided it was time to create a world-class conservatory on home soil. Thus, in 1905, the Institute of Musical Art was born in New York—the school that laid the foundation for the legendary Juilliard community.
From the start, the institution was impressive in scale. Instead of a few dozen students, it had hundreds; instead of ordinary teachers, it had star musicians from Europe, including flutist Georges Barrère, pianist Sigismond Stojowski, and violinist Franz Kneisel. Education here demanded not only talent but also discipline. Students mastered not only their instrument but also music as a living language—with its theory, culture, and history.
The school grew at a furious pace, moving to a new building near Columbia University within five years. And then came the event that would change its destiny forever. In 1919, the wealthy New York textile merchant Augustus Juilliard bequeathed his vast fortune to the development of music. His legacy became the basis of the Juilliard Musical Foundation, which in 1924 opened a separate school for talented graduates—the Juilliard Graduate School.
Two years later, both institutions merged, forming the Juilliard School of Music. John Erskine, a Columbia University professor, became president, and pianist and composer Ernest Hutcheson took charge of the leadership, introducing the orchestral and opera program. Even then, Juilliard graduates began appearing on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.
The real breakthrough occurred in 1945 when the school was led by composer and Pulitzer Prize winner William Schuman. He created the famous “Literature and Materials of Music” program, which taught not just theory but thinking through performance. At the same time, the Juilliard String Quartet was formed—a collective that made the school recognizable worldwide. And in 1951, Schuman founded the Dance Division, led by the legendary Martha Hill.
In the 1960s, Juilliard became not only musical but a multidisciplinary arts center. In 1968, the Drama Division opened under the leadership of John Houseman and Michel Saint-Denis. The following year, the school moved into its current home—in the heart of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
The subsequent decades turned Juilliard into a synonym for artistic excellence. President Joseph W. Polisi(1984–2018) expanded the curriculum, founded the Music Advancement Program (MAP) for talented children from low-income families, opened a jazz department, and launched a massive campus renovation. During this time, the school received the National Medal of Arts in the U.S.
In 2020, the Tianjin Juilliard School in China opened—the first branch outside the U.S. And under the leadership of former star dancer Damian Woetzel, who became president in 2018, the school focused on creativity, inclusivity, and global presence.
The Place Where Art is Born
Every year, more than 800 students from 42 states and 50 countries immerse themselves in the world of art here, participating in over 700 performances in the school’s theaters, at Alice Tully and David Geffen Halls, and the legendary Carnegie Hall. Their performances are not limited to New York; talented Juilliard performers tour across America and the world.
The Juilliard campus, unique in its kind, occupies the Irene Diamond Building at Lincoln Center, which houses concert halls, dance and drama studios, a jazz rehearsal room, and a library with unique collections. Nearby are the Meredith Wilson Residence Hall and the premises of the School of American Ballet.
Juilliard alumni reach the heights of global art: they have won over 100 Grammy Awards, 62 Tony Awards, 47 Emmy Awards, and 24 Oscars. Among them are two EGOT winners, numerous Pulitzer Prize and National Medal of Arts laureates. Juilliard musicians pursue careers as international virtuosos and concertmasters of leading world orchestras.
The training at Juilliard is rigorous and demanding. Applicants undergo multi-stage auditions, submit recommendations and work samples, and only the most gifted are accepted into this elite conservatory with its low acceptance rate. The college curriculum also includes academic courses in the humanities, which ensures students are not just artists but deeply educated individuals.
The Music Division at Juilliard is the largest and most diverse. Here, students master woodwind, string, and percussion instruments, jazz, vocals, conducting, composition, and historical performance. The Dance Division teaches ballet and modern dance, and the Drama Division focuses on acting and theatrical directing.
Modern technology has also become an integral part of Juilliard. The Center for Innovation in the Arts (CIA)helps students combine classical art with digital technologies—they create music for film, engage in electroacoustic projects, and experimental composition.
The university’s instrumental resources are impressive: over 275 pianos, numerous organs, and historical string instruments, including Stradivaris and Guarneris. The Lila Acheson Wallace Library preserves hundreds of thousands of scores, recordings, and rare manuscripts by Mozart, Beethoven, Stravinsky, and other geniuses, many of which are digitized and available online.
Student Life at Juilliard: Where Art Becomes Family
At the Juilliard School, student life is not just about studying but a complete immersion in the world of art and culture. Students organize their own lives and communities: the Black Student Union (JBSU), the Alliance of Latino and Hispanic Students (ALAS), the political organization “Socialist Penguins,” the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, the Christian Society, and the Green Club.
Sports at Juilliard are more symbolic. There once were a hockey team, the “Fighting Penguins,” and tennis and running competitions; now, there is a student volleyball club and a faculty/staff softball team. The main arena remains the stage and the rehearsal rooms where true art is born.
Juilliard’s performing ensembles are strikingly diverse: chamber ensembles, jazz and orchestral groups, and vocal-choral collectives. These include the Juilliard Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra, the Wind Ensemble, the New Juilliard Ensemble, the Theater Orchestra, and the Conducting Orchestra.
Juilliard alumni are true legends of music, dance, and theater. They include Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Leontyne Price, Pinchas Zukerman, Sarah Chang, Renée Fleming, Van Cliburn, and many others.
Student life at Juilliard is a constant encounter with talent, creativity, and innovation. Here, students don’t just gain knowledge—they create a community that they then carry out into the world.
Art Without Borders
In 2025, the Juilliard School took a big step. The Drama Division’s master’s program became tuition-free, and there are future plans to completely eliminate tuition fees for all students. Already, 40% of students attend tuition-free.
The President of Juilliard, former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet Damian Woetzel, says:
“We want talent to be an opportunity, not a subject for payment.”
Tuition at the school costs over $50,000 per year (not including room and board), and over 95% of students already receive financial aid.
Admission to Juilliard’s Drama Division is one of the toughest competitions globally. Even Christine Baranskionly got into the school after reapplying and undergoing speech therapy. Jessica Chastain, who attended in the early 2000s, called Juilliard “a home away from home.” She could barely afford the tuition, worked in the library, took out loans, and was only able to fully focus on her studies after receiving a Robin Williams Scholarship.
Tuition-free education at Juilliard means more than saving money—it is creative freedom, the opportunity to take risks, collaborate, develop one’s potential, and build a career unburdened by financial limitations. As Woetzel says:
“We are preparing students not only to be world-class artists but also to be adaptive and entrepreneurial.”