The New School Mannes School of Music

The Mannes School of Music is a private music conservatory and a division of The New School, located in New York City. Founded in 1916 by violinist David Mannes and pianist Clara Mannes as the David Mannes Music School, it began as a community music school and evolved into a degree-granting conservatory. In 1989 it became part of The New School, and in 2015 it relocated from Manhattan's Upper West Side to Arnhold Hall on The New School's Greenwich Village campus at 55 West 13th Street. Mannes is part of the College of Performing Arts at The New School, alongside the School of Drama and the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. The school offers undergraduate and graduate programs in classical music performance, composition, and related disciplines, emphasizing rigorous conservatory training combined with The New School's progressive, interdisciplinary environment. Notable figures associated with the institution include composers Ernest Bloch and Aaron Copland, and the school maintains a tradition of free and affordable public performances. Today Mannes enrolls roughly 950 students across its college and preparatory divisions and is known for preparing professional musicians, composers, and educators. Students perform in on-campus venues such as the Glassbox Theater and The Stone, as well as at major New York institutions including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and New York City Center.