Renaissance at the Peabody

Southern Living, Mar 2005

Visitors will appreciate the physical beauty of Baltimore's renovated conservatory almost as much as the music.

A jazz trio serenades concertgoers as they spill out of Friedberg Hall at Baltimore's Peabody Institute. The school's director, Robert Sirota, stands at the top of the steps, watching it all. "It's wonderful, isn't it?" he says. "I can't believe we've done it."

The newly renovated space does, indeed, seem wonderful, with its glass ceiling, exposed brick walls, and sweeping staircase. The institute also added a distinct public space known as the Grand Arcade, practice rooms, an orchestra rehearsal hall, a 95-seat lecture/recital hall, and new percussion facilities. They installed new elevators and connected the two main buildings. Finally, they made repairs to the plumbing, electricity, heating, and air-conditioning. The entire project cost nearly $27 million.

The institute has already started to reap the benefits of the revitalization. They've had a record number of applicants for the conservatory, and concert attendance has risen.

"We like to think of ourselves as the nation's conservatory because we are the oldest," Bob says of the 148-year-old school. "It is our goal and our mission to be known as one of the best music conservatories in the United States, if not the world."

Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University: 1 East Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, MD 21202; (410) 659-8100. Visit www.peabody. jhu.edu for a concert schedule.