The Boston Conservatory was founded in 1867 by Julius Eichberg to serve as both a professional training academy and community music school. Eichberg, a gifted violinist and composer, brought with him the spirit and musical practices flourishing in the great conservatories of Brussels, Paris, Prague, London, and Vienna-but with a difference. From the very start, the Conservatory broke new ground by opening its doors to women and African Americans, people with few professional opportunities in classical music at the time.
The Conservatory incorporated dance and theater training into its curriculum, created the first "grand opera" department in the United States, and developed the first professional training program in dance to offer equal emphasis on European classical ballet and the uniquely American forms of modern dance. Cee Cee was one of only about seven black students!

The Conservatory prides itself on remaining small and selective(just over 500 students), and we strive constantly to take advantage of this intentionally intimate learning environment. We nurture a sense of community that binds students, faculty, and staff in positive relationships and affords unusual opportunities for individual attention.
Further, the diversity of our student body is a beacon to aspiring young performers nationally and internationally. Our student body includes young performers from 29 countries abroad, as well as students of every ethnicity from across the United States.

Students must audition or interview for admission to UNCSA. UNCSA is said to be one of the most exclusive arts conservatories in the world. Of the more than 1,000 students enrolled, half come from two-thirds of North Carolina's 100 counties. Half come from 45 other states (from New York to California) and nearly two dozen foreign countries (from Germany to Japan).

Students study with resident master teachers who have had successful careers in the arts, such as the New York City ballet and the Los Angeles Phil Harmonic and who remain active in their professions. Noted guest artists such as filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Mandy Pakin bring lessons directly from the contemporary arts world. The BFA Acting program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts is internationally one of the toughest programs to get into, accepting approximately 28 actors a year, including no more than 10 female actors.