The László Z. Bitó ’60 Conservatory Building is a 16,500-square-foot structure connected to the Avery Arts Center’s music wing. Facilities include a 100-seat performance space; 15 teaching studios; a lounge; and a large classroom.
László Z. Bitó Conservatory Building
The Bard College Conservatory of Music received a generous $9.2 million gift from Bard alumnus László Z. Bitó, class of 1960, for the construction of The László Z. Bitó ’60 Conservatory Building. This state-of-the-art teaching and performance facility addresses the growing needs of the Conservatory, brought on by its fivefold growth since its founding in 2005. The design of the building, by Deborah Berke Partners in New York City, supports the Conservatory’s dedication to providing top-level musical training in the context of a liberal arts education.
Facilities The two-story László Z. Bitó ’60 Conservatory Building contains a 100 seat performance space, classroom and teaching studios, two percussion studios, a student lounge, student instrument lockers and the main Conservatory office.
The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts houses two theaters and dance, theater, and practice studios. The Sosnoff Theater is an intimate 800-seat theater with an orchestra, parterre, two balcony sections, and an orchestra pit.
Fisher Center
The Fisher Center was designed by the distinguished architect Frank Gehry, whose other projects include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Gehry worked in collaboration with acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota and a team of theater consultants. The Center opened in April 2003; it took three years to build, at a cost of more than $62 million.
The Sossnoff Theater at The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts is the Conservatory’s largest performing venue and hosts many of the Conservatory yearly concerts. Sosnoff Theater seats approximately 800 people and features a proscenium stage that accommodates opera, music, dance, and theater. A concert-shell insert can be used to accommodate orchestral and chamber concerts. The hall boasts wonderful acoustics and is acoustically tuned for optimal vocal and orchestral sound. The Conservatory orchestra holds its regular rehearsals and on-campus performances at the Sosnoff Theater. It is the venue for the Conservatory’s new music concerts, faculty/student chamber concerts, opera performances, and special benefit events. It is also hosts a regular series of concerts and performances by visiting guest artists. The Center’s adventurous programs and world-class facilities provide an outstanding environment in which to create, perform, learn, and experience.
Olin Concert Hall
The Franklin W. Olin Humanities Building, is the main academic facilityon campus. Behind the main academic building, a 300-seat concert hall is attached to the main building by a glass lobby that features a circular interior colonnade.
Olin Concert Hall
Olin Hall, built in 1987, is located in the Franklin W. Olin Humanities building in the central part of campus. Olin Hall seats 300 people and is used for Conservatory performances, rehearsals, masterclasses, classes and lectures. Recording facilities are also available in the hall so it is frequently used by students for making audition recordings.
László Z. Bitó Practice Rooms
Opened in 2012 and located near the Avery Arts Center, this facility contains a dozen practice rooms that are available to all students.
László Z. Bitó Practice Rooms
The László Z. Bitó Practice Room Building, opened in 2013, has twelve practice rooms and is located close to the Bitó Conservatory Building. This facility is used primarily for student practice but is occasionally used by faculty for studio lessons instruction. Additional practice rooms can be found on campus in the Avery Arts Center and in the basement of several dormitories. In addition, most general classroom space on campus is available for practice when not being used for classes.
Avery Arts Center
The Avery Arts Center complex houses the Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center and the Edith C. Blum Institute. Blum Institute facilities include a practice space, offices, classrooms, a listening library, and studios for recording, editing, computer music, composition, and jazz percussion.
Avery Arts Center
The Avery Arts Center complex houses the Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center, home to the Film and Electronic Arts Program; and the Edith C. Blum Institute, whose facilities are used are used by both the Conservatory of Music double-degree and graduate programs, and the Undergraduate Music Program, which offers the four-year B.A. in Music. Blum Institute facilities include practice rooms, faculty offices, classrooms, a listening library, a small recital hall, a fully equipped soundproof recording studio, jazz band room, and studios for computer music, editing, composition, and percussion. Administrative offices for both the Conservatory of Music and the Undergraduate Music Program are also located in the Blum Institute.
Campus Map
Whether you are coming to Bard for an evening of theater, a weeklong conference, or touring as a prospective student, our guide to visiting the main campus will help you find your way. Bard regularly offers public lectures, film screenings, and performances at several campus venues.
