| Prague Conservatory | |
| Native Name: | Pražská konzervatoř |
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| Location: | Na rejdišti 77/1, Prague 1 |
| Country: | Czech Republic |
| Coordinates: | 50.0906°N 14.4158°W |
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| Type: | Music school |
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| Gender: | Coeducational |
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| Language: | Czech |
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The Prague Conservatory (Czech: Pražská konzervatoř) is a public music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808.[1] Currently, the school offers four- or six-year courses, which can be compared to the level of a high school diploma in other countries. Graduates can continue their training by enrolling in an institution that offers undergraduate education.
The Prague Conservatory was founded in 1808 by local aristocrats and burghers following the example of the Conservatoire de Paris (est. 1795) and the Milan Conservatory (est. 1807). The founders are listed as František Josef of Vrtba, František Josef of Sternberg and Manderscheid, Jan Nepomuk Nostitz-Rieneck, Kristián Kryštof Clam-Gallas, Bedřich Nostitz, Karel of Firmian, Jan Josef Pachta of Rájov, and František Josef of Klebelsberg.
In 1810, the Union for the Improvement of Music in Bohemia (Czech: Jednota pro zvelebení hudby v Čechách) was formed, which ensured the financial operation of the school for the next hundred years.[2] Classes started in 1811, after a delay caused by the Napoleonic Wars.
Bedřich Diviš Weber was appointed the first director of the school, which was originally located in the monastery next to St. Giles' Church.
In 1891, Antonín Dvořák joined the faculty as head of the composition department and served as the school's director between 1901 and 1904. Dvořák's students included the composers Vítězslav Novák, Josef Suk (who later also served as director of the conservatory), Rudolf Friml, Oskar Nedbal, and Franz Lehár. Another director of the school was pianist Vilém Kurz.
In 1945, a number of professors and students of higher classes at the conservatory left to found the Academy of Performing Arts.[3] Theatre and ballet departments were also opened that year, from which the independent Dance Conservatory was created in 2001.
The Prague Conservatory offers instruction in several instruments, including accordion, guitar, piano, and organ, as well as in singing, composition, conducting, and acting. The institution has its own symphonic and chamber orchestras, a choir, and a theatre company.
The conservatory's main campus is located at Na rejdišti 77/1, Prague 1. It has two ancillary locations: one situated within Pálffyho Palace, in Prague's Malá Strana, and the other in Prague's Old Town.
The following is a list of directors of the Prague Conservatory: