President's Welcome
It all began in 1970 when a small group of determined citizens gathered in a Cohasset living room to ensure that the South Shore would continue to have a school that provided excellent music education for its children and for generations to come. The New England Conservatory was about to close its Hingham satellite, and in its place, a new organization began to emerge, dedicated to the mission of providing access to excellence in music and arts education for the entire South Shore community.
And here we are 40 years later ready to celebrate an incredible milestone. Not only has our enrollment increased dramatically from those first years, but so has our scope. We have grown from a small school, that embraced the importance of music in everyday lives, into the largest community school for the arts in New England, a place that creates opportunities for people of all ages to shine in all the performing art forms: music of all genres and styles, dance and theatre. Throughout our 40-year history, we have stayed true to our mission of making quality arts education accessible to the community and in so doing have added an award-winning arts-based preschool, a youth orchestra and a series of year-long concerts featuring our outstanding professional faculty and guest artists.
As a community school for the arts, community is at the heart of what we do. We create community through the arts, and we continue to be a vibrant part of the larger South Shore community as a contributor to its culture and quality of life. That is why we will take the next year to celebrate our 40th anniversary. From summer 2010 through summer 2011, we have designed and designated a variety of events as “40th Anniversary Celebrations.” This year-long celebration will offer many opportunities for our Conservatory friends and family to participate. The 40thAnniversary events include Evenings Under the Stars and Duxbury Music Festival concerts, family arts festivals, student and faculty recitals and concerts, a children’s opera and more. Each event will celebrate the importance of music and the arts in our lives.
It’s remarkable what change 40 years can bring. From humble beginnings in the basements of churches to our two beautiful campuses; from 100 students to more than 2,000; from a small group of dedicated supporters to hundreds of enthusiastic donors and volunteers; from the desire to enrich and strengthen our South Shore community through the arts to the establishment of a school that offers something for everyone. We are proud of what we have accomplished together as a community and we invite you to join the celebration.
Celebrate music and the performing arts, celebrate our 40 years, celebrate the creative you!
Kathy Czerny
President