Nearly 3,800 students attend over 7,000 classes taught each week at the Conservatoire. Founded in 1906, the Conservatoire is a musical institute that is open to residents of the entire Greater Region: due to the quality of its teaching, it attracts an ever-growing number of students from abroad. It currently has students of around 80 different nationalities. A total of 170 professors and teachers give classes covering over 140 different subjects, which are grouped together within the departments of music theory, keyboard instruments, orchestral instruments, performing arts and contemporary music. The Conservatoire brings together staff who have studied all over Europe, and even in the United States. This means they are able to offer a rich variety of teaching methods and subject matter.
The Conservatoire is active right across the city, thanks to the École des quartiers de la Ville de Luxembourg. This network of schools is managed by the Conservatoire and works closely with the City's music societies.
Very specific attention is given to students' practice of the arts. One of the major strengths of the Conservatoire is that it provides its students with real-life experiences. They have the chance to join over 20 orchestras, ensembles and choirs, with which they can participate in a whole host of multidisciplinary shows and concerts throughout the season, both at the Conservatoire and on other stages. The Conservatoire also collaborates with major orchestras, including the Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Military Band and the Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra. Such projects give students the opportunity to play alongside professional musicians.
The Conservatoire often works with various national institutions, such as the Philharmonie and the Grand Théâtre. It has become a valued partner of cultural organisations both within the Greater Region and beyond. It also works with other internationally renowned conservatoires. Furthermore, the Conservatoire has the honour of hosting such distinguished orchestras as the European Union Youth Orchestra.
Its spacious and highly functional premises are suited to hosting even the most ambitious events, and its original architectural design in the form of a spiral gives it a modern flair. In addition to being a teaching institution, the Conservatoire is a prestigious cultural centre: its superb auditorium has hosted and delighted quite a number of great artists (Bernhard Haitink, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Martha Argerich, Felicity Lott, Lazar Berman… to mention only the most famous) with its marvelous accoustics, and is home to an organ made by the Luxembourg manufacturer Westenfelder.
And that's not all: the Conservatoire also has a library containing a large selection of specialist literature, teaching materials, scores, CDs and DVDs, as well as an instrument collection that includes the piano on which Franz Liszt played during his last public performance in 1886.
