General Information

Conservatorium High School is dedicated to the pursuit of musical and academic excellence. We esteem the ideals of integrity, respect and compassion and are committed to providing a supportive and stimulating environment in which students can strive to realise to the full their music, academic, social and creative potential. Through our school–based programs and collaborations with the tertiary arm of the Conservatorium of Music, (Sydney University's School of Music), and broader Music Industry and Educational partnerships, Conservatorium High School affords musically and intellectually gifted students extensive experience and training in all aspects of music while providing them with an excellent secondary education.

The Conservatorium High School was established in 1918 at the behest of the inaugural director of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, Henri Verbrugghen. He firmly believed that a good general education is as much a necessity to a musician as to a lawyer or a medical practitioner. One hundred years later, the school remains faithful to this credo.  The Conservatorium High School (part of the NSW public school system) has a net enrolment of 160 students. They are drawn from the greater Sydney region and from around the State. The composition of the student body reflects the cultural and ethnic diversity of our region. Staffed and administered by the NSW Department of Education, the school also avails itself of the pedagogical expertise of top professional musicians and teachers, many of whom are employed by the Conservatorium's tertiary arm, the Faculty of Music of the University of Sydney, or by the State's top professional ensembles and music education institutes such as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Bach Akademie Australia, The Song Company, Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra, Opera Australia Orchestra, the Australian National Choral Association and the Kodaly Music Education Institute of Australia. In addition to its special relationship with Sydney University and the music/music education profession, the Conservatorium High also has strategic partnerships with community music institutions such as:  the Modeste Orchestra, the Dreambox Collective,  the Penrith Symphony Orchestra, and Voces Caelestium, ensembles directed or supported by Con High alumni be they professional, charitable or educational.

At Con High, we believe in educating the Whole Musician, multi-dimensional, multi-faceted people. As Zoltan Kodaly would say, "The characteristics of a good musician can be summarized as follows: A well-trained ear, A well-trained intelligence, A well-trained heart, A well-trained hand. All four must develop together, in constant equilibrium." As the State's only Specialist Music High School, our purpose is to prepare the next generation of Musicians, musical citizens who will positively contribute to their community. As such, positive psychology, growth mindset, peak performance and a sense of community service are central to our culture.

The State provides K-12 education for all students; it acknowledges that some students have special needs, and it supports a number of schools in which expertise pertinent to the specialist area can be concentrated. Conservatorium High School is a Specialist school, doubly selective and, for its 100 year history, a place where students can flourish in a broad variety of subjects and disciplines. Alumni leave to embark on a broad array of careers. As the State's only specialist music high school, identifying students with the most potential to flourish musically and academically enables us to provide opportunities for talent development in the specific domain of music. As such, the school is committed to providing high-quality educational outcomes for all high potential and gifted learners. Conservatorium High School staff are all trained to work with gifted students, and our programs are enriched, compacted, accelerated, and differentiated to provide opportunity for students to learn in individualised ways.

Catering for our highly-gifted students, the whole school implementation of the HPGE Pathways and Opportunities Policy consolidates and interprets growth and achievement data across the multiple areas of their learning. It is designed to contribute to the building of ever greater awareness of and capacity to contribute to the school culture centred around our core values of Compassion, Integrity, and Respect. As the Wellbeing and Peak Performance Coaching Initiative underpins the school’s ethos and Strategic Directions, an integrated educational/wellbeing process plays out across all facets of the school. The strong foundation of a growth mindset with a focus on character strengths such as perseverance, perspective, teamwork, and interpersonal/musical communication skills is required for students to flourish at Conservatorium High School and eventually in the music profession.

The Conservatorium High School is the secondary arm of the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney, NSW and the State’s only specialist music high school. Established at the behest of Henri Verbrugghen, foundation director of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, the school enrolled its first students in 1918. The inaugural principal, Mr Alfred Steel, was seconded from Sydney Boys’ High; he taught in both the secondary and tertiary programmes of the Conservatorium.

Located in the Royal Botanic Gardens overlooking Farm Cove, the Conservatorium of Music is one of Sydney’s best-known heritage sites. The heart of ‘The Con’ is the turreted sandstone structure that was designed by the convict architect, Francis Greenway, to serve as vice-regal stables for Government House which is located across the gardens to the north. Extensive redevelopment in the late 1990s transformed The Con into a superb teaching, research and music performance complex with expanded accommodation for up to 180 Conservatorium High students.

From the school’s inception, Conservatorium High students constituted an elite core of the State’s premiere music institution. This was Henri Verbrugghen’s vision. Not surprisingly, the school numbers amongst its alumni some of Australia’s most acclaimed performers, teachers and composers, musicians who have made their mark in all facets of the music profession.

As the centenary of the Conservatorium High drew near, the School remained true to its founder’s vision: to provide the State’s brightest and most musically gifted teenagers with the very best musical training while ensuring they received an excellent, broadly-based secondary education. Through its school-based programmes and its special relationship with Sydney University which administers The Con’s tertiary arm, the Conservatorium High School continues to provide its students with music-educational opportunities unsurpassed in this country.

Thanks to the multi-million dollar upgrade and redevelopment (1998-2001)  that transformed the original nineteenth-century Conservatorium heritage building into a state-of-the-art music complex, the Conservatorium High has at its disposal facilities that are second-to-none.  In addition to ten standard school classrooms, school offices and staff room, the school can avail itself of 53 teaching studios, 63 practice rooms, 140 pianos, 15 seminar and ensemble rooms, choral and instrumental rehearsal rooms, three recital/ lecture halls and two major concert halls.

Verbrugghen Hall

At the heart of the turreted sandstone structure known affectionately as ‘The Con’ is Verbrugghen Hall. Named after the founding director of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, the hall seats 497 and houses the glorious Pogson Pipe Organ that was installed in the 1970s by the NSW Government. The hall features a large stage accommodating a full symphony orchestra, a choir gallery and audience seating over two levels. The Con High uses the Verbrugghen Hall weekly for Large Performing Ensembles and for all major end-of-term concerts and official events.

The Conservatorium Library

The Conservatorium Library functions as both a secondary school library and a university research library. Its collection dates from the establishment of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music.  The Library holds approximately 100,000 scores, 32,000 books, 20 000 CDs/DVDs, 12,000 vinyl recordings, print and electronic journals and databases of streamed recordings and digitised scores.  In addition to Music, the collection covers school subject such as Creative Arts, English, Human Society & its Environment, Languages, Mathematics, Science and Technology.

Performance venues

Apart from Verbrugghen Hall, Conservatorium High students make most frequent use of the Choral Assembly Hall which seats 213 and has space for a small orchestra.  It is equipped with two concert grand pianos, a Fazioli and Yamaha Disklavier. The Music Workshop seats 220 and is a performance space purpose-built for versatility. The flexible stage is suitable for a variety of performances from contemporary music and multimedia presentations to large-scale operatic productions with a traditional orchestra pit. Conservatorium High students use this venue for the Large Performing Ensembles program. Recital Halls East & West both seat 116 and are used for our Soloist Concerts series, for lectures and seminars, and for master classes and public recitals.

Music Technology and Keyboard Labs

While we are proud of our role in conserving musical traditions the Conservatorium High is also keen to ensure that we are fully au fait IMG_8526with contemporary musical styles. Our Mac computer Music Technology Lab is equipped with aural training software, theory training software, sampling and audio recording software and state-of-the-art scoring/notation software. Each workstation is configured with a MIDI synthesizer and headphones and is connected to the school network for convenience and flexibility. The school was also furnished with a Keyboard Lab of quality electric pianos, interconnected in a Keyboard Lab Management System, all provided and installed by the Parents & Citizens’ Association of the Conservatorium High.

Connected classrooms

As part of our commitment to excellence in secondary education the school has upgraded six classrooms that now incorporate Interactive Whiteboards and Connected Classroom technology. These facilities provide our students with Connected Learning opportunities in every subject area every day of the week. Our students benefit from instantaneous interaction with other educational institutions around the world and can also become part of our developing music education outreach program through remote interaction with regional Conservatoria and music faculties across the state and abroad.

Science, Art, Technology and Fitness Labs

In addition to ten standard classrooms, the school has several specialist teaching spaces: a fully equipped Science Laboratory and generous sized Visual Arts facility. The latter space incorporating a kiln room, digital media room and a general art practice studio. There are also two dedicated Physical Education spaces: a fitness lab and an exercise room.