The Breakthrough Plan
Peabody’s Vision
Since 2015 the Peabody Institute has been repositioning itself in the world of performing arts conservatories, in its home community of Baltimore, and within the multi-faceted framework of the renowned Johns Hopkins University. Peabody is in a stimulating period of growth, focused on excellence, innovation, and leading the way in adapting to and fostering changes in the American and international performing arts landscape.
Peabody’s innovative outlook is anchored in deep tradition. Founded in 1857, Peabody is the oldest conservatory in the nation and has a storied history. Over the years, its landmark buildings have welcomed visiting artists including Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Anton Rubinstein, Igor Stravinsky, Nadia Boulanger, and Leonard Bernstein. The Conservatory and Preparatory count André Watts, Philip Glass, James Morris, Hilary Hahn, Cyrus Chestnut, Tori Amos, and numerous Grammy Award-winners among Peabody’s illustrious alumni. Current faculty includes artists such as Marin Alsop, Manuel Barrueco, Thomas Dolby, Richard Goode, Sean Jones, Marina Piccinini, and Pulitzer Prize winning composers Kevin Puts and Du Yun.
Linking the past with the future, Peabody today is building on its rich history of professional arts training at the highest level and has developed a strategic Breakthrough Plan to meet the new realities and opportunities of a world that is constantly changing. Peabody’s history, tradition, and pedigree, coupled with its forward-looking view and commitment to challenge traditional assumptions, allow it to take on the real work of advancing a new vision for the role of the 21st-century artist in our society and modeling the training required for musicians and dancers from diverse backgrounds to thrive as flexible, creative, and collaborative artists and citizens.
To realize this vision of marrying the old with the new, and to advance our mission of elevating the human experience through leadership at the intersection of art and education, Peabody built its Breakthrough Plan around Five Pillars: Excellence, Interdisciplinary Experiences, Innovation, Community Connectivity, and Diversity.