Master of Music (MM) in Performance

• Our faculty are professional artists who have collectively performed in more than 45 states and in 47 countries.
• Our reputation has attracted students from Ireland, Italy, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Panama, El Salvador, Ecuador, and beyond.
• Our remarkably low 7:1 student/teacher ratio ensures ongoing personal interaction with faculty.
• Converse holds the prestigious status as an all-Steinway school.
• Our graduates can be found on Broadway, in major symphony orchestras, opera houses, regional and municipal symphonies, jazz groups, chamber orchestras, colleges, universities and conservatories throughout the US and around the world.

“Majoring in Vocal Performance in the Petrie School of Music graduate program challenged me to achieve up to and beyond my limits. The Petrie School of Music faculty is completely dedicated to creating a professional level of performance within the school, and also works to prepare students for the highly competitive field of music after college.” – Donna Gallagher, MM ‘10

Continue your professional music training in an intensive, personalized environment. All classes and private lessons are taught by Petrie faculty members. The low student/teacher ratio guarantees close connections and collaborations. The main focus is individual performance instruction, but the program also emphasizes music theory and history/literature, pedagogy and ensemble participation.

Students attend weekly studio seminars conducted by their primary teachers and have the opportunity to perform in master classes offered by distinguished visiting artists.

Petrie school graduate students also have the opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience through Converse’s Lawson Academy of the Arts, which offers lessons for students of all ages, from preschoolers to adults.

Visit the graduate catalog for current course requirements for this degree.

For consideration of admission to the Master of Music in Performance program, the applicant should have the following credentials:

1. Graduation from an accredited institution
2. For full, non-provisional admission, the applicant must have an overall cumulative 2.75 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
3. The Graduate Admission application, including the $40 application fee. You must also complete a graduate music audition application.
4. Three letters of recommendation.

Learn more about the audition process.

The Petrie School of Music boasts an impressive number of performance opportunities including:

• Weekly student recitals
• A staged, costumed major opera presented each year by the Converse Opera Theatre in addition to one-act operas and opera scenes
• Performances by the Converse Symphony Orchestra
• Performances by the Spartanburg Festival Chorus which often include large-scale works with orchestra
• Performances by the Converse Wind Ensemble
• Several annual concerts by the Converse Chorale
• An apprentice program with the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra affords further professional development for qualified students who pass an additional audition process.

Each year, some of the world’s most accomplished musicians visit the Petrie School to perform and conduct master classes. Past guest artists include:

• Chanticleer, Grammy Award-winning chamber ensemble
• Joan Tower, Grammy Award-winning composer
• Libby Larsen, acclaimed composer and producer
• Boston Brass
• Guarneri String Quartet
• David Daniels, the world’s foremost countertenor
• Dame Evelyn Glennie, acclaimed solo percussionist and composer

The Petrie School of Music offers a number of graduate assistantships each year. Assistantships carry a waiver of University tuition and may also carry a stipend. Each assistantship carries specific duties and responsibilities. Learn more and apply.

See comprehensive graduate tuition and fees here.*

Learn about Financial Aid opportunities.

*Tuition and fees subject to change