About Us

The Cape Cod Conservatory celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006. Founded in 1956 by a committee of people interested in starting a conservatory on Cape Cod, Dr. Paul Giuliana, a member of the association of music teachers, was hired to investigate the possibility of starting such an institution. When Dr. Giuliana returned with a report that such a school was feasible, the group promptly elected him President.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts granted a charter to the Cape Cod Conservatory of Music and Arts on April 5, 1956. In 1960, the Conservatory moved from Hyannis to Barnstable. After the sudden death of Dr. Giuliana, a new administration saw the need for more support from the Cape Cod community. In 1971 Richard Casper was appointed director and ground was broken for the present 14-acre West Barnstable facility. In August of 1972, Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra performed a fund-raising concert for the Conservatory to a sell-out crowd of 2,500 at the Cape Cod Mall. This was the first Cape Cod appearance of Mr. Fiedler.

The Conservatory established an extension in Falmouth in 1969, renting Highfield Hall to conduct classes and recitals.  In 1972, J.K. Lilly III donated 25 acres of the Beebe estate for the Falmouth campus. Three years later, the Conservatory constructed the current facility at 60 Highfield Drive. Sarah Caldwell dedicated the center.

Although a non-profit school from its first days, the Conservatory charged tuition to all except a limited number of scholarship students until 1964. At that time the Board voted unanimously to make the conservatory accessible for all and committed more funds to scholarships.

 WHO'S "ON BOARD"

We are very proud of our Board of Governors. They generously volunteer their time and talents, providing priceless strategic leadership to the organization.

The Board includes:
Charles Ritch, President

Avery Funkhouser, Vice President
William Janovitz, Treasurer

Elizabeth Dunning, Clerk

Diane Boudreau, esq., Joe Clerico, Elizabeth Doriss, Dr. John Funkhouser, Douglas MacDonald, Robert Neese, Margaret Van Sciver, Lorraine Shepley, John Tropsa, Dr. Allen White

We thank you all for your remarkable dedication and generous support.

And a special thank you to Robert Neese - our first-ever Governor Emeritus - celebrating 29 years of continuous service to the Conservatory.

(L-R:  Elizabeth McNichols Dunning, Bob Neese, Kevin Howard, Executive Director)

Important Information About Our Policies

Thank you for your interest in the Cape Cod Conservatory.  We are grateful that you are considering us to inspire your family’s creativity as we’ve done for thousands of others since 1956.  Here are some important things we'd like you to know about how we operate. 

1.  In order to keep our costs down we require full payment prior to the commencement of lessons/classes.  This significantly minimizes the work load on our staff. 

2.  We realize that, especially in this challenging economy, full payment in advance may not always be possible.  As a result we will structure any reasonable payment plan to suit to your needs (see paragraph 4).  There is a one-time $25 charge (per year) for doing so.

3.  We accept cash, checks, Visa and MasterCard.  There is a $25 one-time fee for any returned checks.  Should that happen we will need a credit card from you.

4.  You must remain current with your payment plan.  If you cannot, please tell us immediately.  We will have to suspend lessons/classes until you can bring your account up to date.   Late payments are subject to a one-time $25 fee and INTEREST CHARGES of 1.5% per month (18% per annum).

5.  Lesson length, frequency, begin/end dates and make-ups are at the discretion of the teacher. We request the courtesy of ample advanced notice if a lesson is going to be missed (sickness, vacations, etc.) so we may advise the teacher and they can plan appropriately. 

6.  If you miss a lesson due to weather or other factors out of our control we will provide either make-up lesson(s) (teacher’s discretion) or a credit.  Refunds are only given in the case of family emergencies.

We hope you find our policies to be fair, clear and reasonable.  Please contact me with any and all questions and concerns.

Thank you.

Kevin M. Howard

Executive Director