Conservatorium of Music
Creating the future leaders of the arts community
As one of Australia's leading music schools in one of the world's leading universities, the UWA Conservatorium of Music transforms individuals to release their full creative potential.
Graduates of the UWA Conservatorium of Music have gone on to postgraduate study at national and international centres of music excellence. They perform in every major orchestra in Australia and as chamber musicians and soloists around the world. They inspire the next generation of musicians in classrooms across Australia and work in a wide range of arts organisations.
Each year, we present a vibrant program of concerts and events that showcase our young emerging artists and the finest musical talent locally, nationally and internationally.
More than 200 performances and events each year
Producing world-class graduates for 50+ years
Whether your aspiration is a life in music or music in your life, we dare you to play on our stage.Professor Alan Lourens, Head of Conservatorium
ATAR Music Resources
Conservatorium staff have developed a range of online resources, carefully designed around the new ATAR Music Syllabus, to support music teachers and students across WA.
Bite-size videos cover elements of Analysis, Performance and Musical Literacy and are accompanied by written documents, quizzes and further study links that will help support student learning beyond the classroom.
Our courses
Concerts and events
The Conservatorium of Music is home to more than 200 events, free and ticketed, each calendar year. We are delighted to bring you a diverse range of events that showcase amazing work from students, staff and industry professionals, as well as some of Australia’s leading music organisations, community groups and schools.
Auditions for 2024
- Saturday 16 September
- Monday 27 November
UWA’s flexible, innovative course structure gives you the opportunity to tailor your study pathway and achieve your unique goals.
Specialise in performance, composition, musicology, creative music technology or electronic music – or you can choose to combine music with other study areas, giving many choices of career.
Performance
We place performance at the heart of what we do, staging more classical performances than any other Western Australian tertiary institution. Students can expect to participate in regular performances, cover a range of repertoire and will benefit from staff who are actively engaged in music making at the highest level.
Study your passion with electives and minors
An exciting feature of our courses is the opportunity to take electives and minors. These provide knowledge beyond the fields in which you choose to specialise. The Conservatorium of Music offers a number of stimulating and enjoyable electives that will accrue credit towards your degree. Whether or not you have studied music at secondary level, or can read music, you can enrich your degree by including music units in your study.
Junior Music School
The UWA Conservatorium of Music’s Junior Music School nurtures your child's creative potential through the magic of music.
We believe all children are musical. The extent to which musical ability develops, however, depends greatly on the input children receive in very early childhood.
Our program is designed for children aged 18 months to 12 years. It is focused on nurturing your child's musical potential in a stimulating and rich musical environment, supporting you and your family in developing and maintaining a lifelong love of music.
Junior Music School employs highly skilled music teachers from diverse musical backgrounds. This ensures our program is based on the best and most recent research, and a supportive and lively university music community.
Open Conservatorium
- Schools Programs
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The UWA Conservatorium of Music is committed to supporting the continued development of young musicians in schools.
We are excited to present a wide-range of activities to inspire and support school-aged musicians, through Workshops, Masterclasses, Extension Programs, Bootcamps, Immersion Days and more!
These include activities such as:
- Accelerate! UWA’s Elite Performance Program
- ATAR Bootcamp
- UWA Day of Brass
- UWA Day of Guitar
- UWA Day of Keyboard
- UWA Day of Woodwind
- UWA Day of Voice
- WA Percussion Weekend
- UWA Saxophone School
- EMSD Exhibition Program Schools Immersion Day
- UWA & WASO’s ATAR Unlocked
- Masterclasses with local, national and international artists
- 1-1 Lessons for Pre-Tertiary Students
For further details and bookings, visit Conservatorium of Music Events.
We warmly welcome groups form both primary and secondary schools to attend our concerts and are pleased to be able to offer free tickets for these groups to any of our in-house performances.
We can arrange outreach activities at UWA (such as access to open rehearsals, presentations or workshops to coincide with concerts) or where available, we can arrange for our staff and students to visit your school to perform and provide additional support (including professional development opportunities).
- Free Tickets
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We want to ensure that students from all walks of life, from all across our state, have the opportunity to engage with music, and as such we are delighted to be able to offer FREE tickets to all our in-house concerts to school-aged students, their families and their teachers.
Our yearly concert program is available here and free tickets can be reserved by emailing [email protected]
- Collaborations
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The Conservatorium is delighted to partner with varied community and arts organisations in order to support music in WA. These partnerships include collaborative activities, hosting events on campus and regionally throughout WA.
Some of our collaborators include:
- West Australian Symphony Orchestra(WASO)
- West Australian Opera (WAO)
- MusicaViva
- Breaksea
- WA Young Artists Chamber Music Program (WAYACHAMP)
- Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association (ABODA) - Western Australia
- WA Band Association (WABA)
- Australian Strings Association (AUSTA) WA
- Clarinet and Saxophone Society of WA (CASSWA)
- Classical Guitar Society of WA
- Perth Undergraduate Choral Society (PUCS)
- UWA Choral Society (UWACS)
Highly acclaimed teachers and researchers
The Conservatorium is home to some of Australia's finest musicians, composers and researchers. Staff members include leading industry figures, highly active performers, composers and researchers, as well as dedicated educators.
Conductor's Circle
"Our mission states that if you are looking for music in your life, or a life in music, the UWA Conservatorium is the place. Come play on our stage."
Message from Alan Lourens, Head, Conservatorium of Music
By joining the Conductor’s Circle, you will be making a truly outstanding contribution to the creative leaders of tomorrow, establishing a legacy that extends far beyond what we see as possible today.
Conservatorium research
We have a long-established tradition of research in music education, historical musicology and performance practice, as well as a strong track record in composition and performance.
Research is closely interwoven with the Callaway Centre, a research hub that provides a focus for discussion, projects and postgraduate activity and training. It is also home to the Callaway Centre Archive of Australian and international collections.
Our research areas
View all of our research staff
Projects
News
Noongar musician returns to creative roots
A renowned Noongar song-maker and composer, who releases music under the name Maatakitj, has returned to the Conservatorium of Music.
Read moreOpen day set to deliver an exciting taste of uni life
Listening to the universe through a Spacetime Simulator, seeing the back of your own eyeball and making electronic music through a ‘beat-maker’ are just some of the hands-on activities available to prospective students at The University of Western Australia’s Open Day on Sunday 12 March.
Read moreNew Forrest Creative Fellows announced
A rising star of contemporary classical music who graduated from UWA was one of four artists to be awarded a prestigious Forrest Research Foundation Creative and Performance Leadership Fellowship.
Read morePartnerships
The Conservatorium has strong industry links, working closely with some of Australia’s leading music organisations, community groups and schools to present exciting educational events and opportunities for students.
Performance spaces, instruments and technologies
Located next to the picturesque Swan River, the Conservatorium of Music has various performance, teaching and rehearsal spaces available to staff, students and for occasional external hire. We have a large collection of modern and historical instruments as well as specialist music technology and software available for use by current students.
Venue Hire
Located next to the picturesque Swan River, the Conservatorium of Music has various performance, teaching and rehearsal spaces available to staff, students and for occasional external hire.
Our main performance spaces available for hire are the Callaway Music Auditorium and Eileen Joyce Studio.
Callaway Music Auditorium boasts impressive acoustics, specifically for classical performance, with adjustable sound baffles and retractable-tiered seating that allows a full capacity of 196, with partial extensions available, giving a range of flexible performance and staging options. Housed within are two concert grand pianos, a Fazioli and a brand new Bosendorfer, that can also be hired (subject to conditions).
The Eileen Joyce Studio is a more intimate recital space, ideal for chamber music performances. The room can be set up with different seating configurations, with stunning views into the Somerville Auditorium.
There are a number of other lecture and rehearsal spaces available for hire. Contact [email protected] to enquire about availability.
Contact us
Access
Office hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm