Not surprisingly, AVA is highly competitive and only 28 singers are accepted per yr. The curriculum is centered round a one-on-one method with conductors and vocal coaches. A whopping ninety five p.c of scholars obtain a scholarship of some kind, and pupil housing is situated throughout San Francisco’s many desirable neighborhoods. Located in New York’s Greenwich Village, Mannes’s pupil inhabitants hovers round 350, making it one of many smallest conservatories on this list. Founded in 1924, the Philadelphia-based Curtis Institute of Music has produced many notable alumni—especially composers, including Leonard Bernstein, Gian Carlo Menotti, Ned Rorem, and Nino Rota. Other famous alumni embrace conductors Jaime Laredo and Alan Gilbert, violinist Jascha Brodsky, organist Alan Morrison, and pianist Lang Lang.