The Conservatory broke new ground in admissions this year by receiving a record number of applications - 1,040 - and surpassing its target goal of 135 students by 16.
"It was a banner year in some areas," Mike Mandaren, director of Conservatory admissions, said. The Conservatory admitted 33 percent of its applicant pool.
"We are attracting the very best students who are looking for undergraduate degrees in music," Mandaren said. "Oberlin Conservatory students apply to the best music schools in the country, including Eastman, Curtis and Julliard."
The Conservatory's yield - or the percentage of accepted students who chose to attend Oberlin - is 45 percent.
The Conservatory is, however, lacking students in the areas of voice and cello. "All Conservatory classes are amazing. Sometimes they are lacking in certain areas, but it is like fielding a baseball team - some years we don't have a good match for what we need," Mandaren said.
"We needed a stronger French horn section for this year and got a lot of [players]. This year we will be recruiting keyboard, voice and music education majors," Manderen said.
Conservatory admissions will focus on more specialized mailing and direct recruiting for the musicians they are lacking this year. According to Mandaren, they plan to hold auditions in six countries in Asia and also tour 26 cities in the United States.
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