South Shore Conservatory

The largest community school for the arts in Massachusetts, South Shore Conservatory incorporated in 1970 as a non-degree granting community music school in Hingham after previously serving as a satellite preparatory program run by the New England Conservatory of Music. Nestled in beautiful Conservatory Park, the Hingham campus contains more than three floors of beautiful studio and performance space as well as the Jane C. Carr amphitheater with its state-of-the-art design. The amphitheater offers professional rehearsal and performance space for the Conservatory’s renowned Summer Music Festival, as well as its popular outdoor summer concert series Evenings Under the Stars.

In 1980, a second campus was established in Duxbury, Massachusetts, and in 1996, the Conservatory purchased, renovated and moved into its present home: the Ellison Center for the Arts. A former church, the Duxbury campus has a state of the art recording facility, as well as wonderful teaching and ensemble spaces, and a beautiful hall housed in the former sanctuary. Between the two campuses, SSC is able to serve students in many South Shore towns that include Quincy, Milton, Braintree, Weymouth, Hingham, Hull, Cohasset, Scituate, Norwell, Marshfield, Duxbury, Kingston, Hanover, Pembroke, Rockland, Plymouth, Abington, East Bridgewater, Carver, Hanson, Somerset, Brockton and Falmouth.

Since its inception, South Shore Conservatory has remained faithful to its mission to provide access to quality education in the arts in the belief that the arts are vital to and an innate part of life. In order to fulfill this mission, the Community Partnership program began in 1999 specifically to provide greater access to performing arts instruction and performances in partnership with schools, community centers, social service agencies and other organizations throughout the South Shore. Through this initiative faculty work with many people who may not have the opportunity to experience the arts due to disabilities, distance, or financial considerations.

Today more than 2,000 students participate in over 50 programs including individual lessons in most instruments and voice, an arts-principled preschool and full-day kindergarten, drama workshops, monthly recital and concert opportunities, and a variety of performing opportunities with chamber music, jazz, rock, wind, choral and percussion ensembles and our new youth orchestra. Through collaborations with local visual arts associations, exhibitions by regional artists are featured in Conservatory galleries throughout the year. A partnership with José Mateo’s Ballet Theatre allows South Shore Conservatory to offer a ballet program for all ages at its Duxbury campus. A state-of-the-art audio recording and music technology curriculum provides recording instruction for professional musicians and students. The Conservatory’s resident opera company, Opera by the Bay, founded in 2000, presents well-attended productions and classes throughout the year.

Performance is an important part of a complete arts education and is critical to the Conservatory’s success in fulfilling its mission. Hundreds of performances on the campuses and in the community are sponsored and put on by the Conservatory including student recitals, the Conservatory Concert Series, Evenings Under the Stars, Duxbury Music Festival and the annual Performathon.

The Conservatory is widely recognized as the best source for quality education in music in the region. This status has been achieved through careful faculty selection and program development. The outstanding faculty members have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in music in addition to extensive teaching and performing experience. There are over 75 exceptional artist/educators who make up the Conservatory’s acclaimed faculty.

South Shore Conservatory is a full member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts.