About
Message From the Director
Welcome to the Lamont School of Music, where tradition and innovation come together to shape the future of music. For more than a century, Lamont has been home to exceptional performers, scholars, composers, and educators. Today, we continue to build on that legacy with a bold vision—one that prepares our students not only to excel in their artistry, but also to lead, collaborate, and inspire in a rapidly changing world.
At Lamont, we intentionally keep our community small, ensuring that each of our 300 students benefits from individualized mentorship, abundant performance opportunities, and access to state-of-the-art facilities in the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts. From classical and jazz to global traditions, recording arts, and beyond, Lamont offers pathways that empower students to dream big and create meaningful impact.
As we look to the future, I invite you to join us—whether by attending our concerts, supporting our students, or simply exploring the energy of our community. Together, we will continue to nurture the artists, thinkers, and leaders who will shape the cultural landscape for generations to come.
Keep Listening, Keep Dreaming, Keep Changing the World,
Brian Pertl
Director, Lamont School of Music
Founded in 1924 by renowned voice teacher Florence Lamont Hinman, the Lamont School of Music began as a private proprietary school in downtown Denver. Lamont flourished under Ms. Hinman's direction, becoming an important cultural fixture in Denver's arts scene throughout the 1920s and '30s.
In 1941, the school merged with the University of Denver and remained under Ms. Hinman's direction until her retirement in 1952. Roger Dexter Fee, one of Ms. Hinman's vocal proteges, was named the school's second director.
Despite its separation from DU's main campus for many years, Lamont was poised for expansion and development. Both followed with the appointment of the school's fifth director, F. Joseph Docksey. In 1988, the Lamont School of Music's enrollment totaled 116 music majors at both the graduate and undergraduate levels; by 2001, enrollment jumped to 256; and by 2007, the school had reached its strategic enrollment cap of 300 music majors.
Students and faculty moved into the state-of-the-art Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts in 2002. In February 2005, the Lamont School of Music was recognized by the city of Denver with the Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts.
From 2011 to 2018, Lamont's sixth director Nancy Cochran greatly enhanced fundraising efforts and expanded the faculty and staff. 2018 marked the appointment of Lamont's seventh director, Keith Ward.
Robert & Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts
Lamont's beautiful home
Acclaimed as one of the nation's finest university arts centers, the 180,000 square-foot Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts anchors the southeast corner of the campus. The Newman Center also houses Virginia E. Trevorrow Hall, home of Lamont, as well as a grand opera hall, two recital halls and a theatre. Joy Burns Plaza joins the components of the center.
The Newman Center houses technologically sophisticated studios for teaching, rehearsing and practicing. Each of the performance, rehearsal and practice spaces in the Newman Center is wired to the professional recording studio, allowing us to create professional-quality recordings. The Center also contains a music library, computer lab, costume shop and classrooms.
Support the Lamont School of Music
Lamont Society donors support our ensembles, help us purchase instruments, underwrite master classes and performances by guest artists, maintain scholarships, send our ensembles on tour, and provide travel funds to students for summer festivals, competitions, and auditions.
Life at Lamont
A Musically Rich Lifestyle
As a Lamont student, you'll have access to an array of services, resources and programs that will complete your DU experience. Among those is an all-inclusive transit pass, which you can use to take a short light rail ride to the premier music venues of the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
We not only provide a collaborative learning environment but also offer numerous ensembles and extracurricular activities to encourage you to connect with your peers outside of the classroom. Music is meant to be shared, so we embrace efforts to engage music lovers all across the Front Range.
The City of Denver is home to world class museums and performing arts organizations, not to mention Red Rocks Amphitheatre. We also have four major professional sports teams, countless outdoor activities and the headquarters of ten Fortune 500 companies. Here, there are opportunities to engage even the most niche interests, making Denver an incredible place to practice and share music.
