The Rice University Shepherd School of Music is a music school at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The Shepherd School has existed in name since 1950, when Sallie Shepherd Perkins endowed it with $8 million in honor of her grandfather, Houston banker Benjamin A. Shepherd. It opened in 1974 under founding dean Samuel Jones. The school's building, Alice Pratt Brown Hall, was dedicated in 1991 and houses a 1,000-seat concert hall, 250-seat recital hall, organ and recital hall, opera studio, 65 practice rooms, and 54 teaching studios. The Brockman Music and Performing Arts Center, completed in 2022, added a new theater building connected to Alice Pratt Brown Hall by a plaza. The undergraduate acceptance rate is approximately 15 percent, with graduate acceptance around 10 to 15 percent.
Here is an official Shepherd School video about the culture and philosophy of the music program:
Notable Alumni
Shepherd School graduates have won Pulitzer Prizes, Grammy Awards, and positions in major orchestras worldwide:
- Caroline Shaw (BM '04) - Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, violinist, and vocalist. Shaw won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Partita for 8 Voices, making her the youngest recipient of the award. She has won five Grammy Awards (2014, 2020, 2022, 2024, and 2025), including two for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance. She has collaborated with Rosalia, Renee Fleming, and Yo-Yo Ma, and her music has appeared in films and TV series including Fleishman is in Trouble, Bombshell, Yellowjackets, and Beyonce's Homecoming. She holds an honorary doctorate from Yale University. Here is Roomful of Teeth performing Partita for 8 Voices at its Canadian premiere, presented by Music on Main:
- Gabriela Lena Frank (BM '94, MM '96) - Composer and 2026 Pulitzer Prize winner for Music. Frank won for Picaflor: A Future Myth, a 10-movement orchestral work co-commissioned and premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra in March 2025. She was also named 2026 Musical America Composer of the Year. The Metropolitan Opera staged her work El Ultimo Sueno de Frida y Diego in 2026. Named by The Washington Post among the 35 most significant women composers in history, Frank is of Peruvian descent and lives with a hereditary hearing condition. She studied composition under Samuel Jones, the Shepherd School's founding dean. Here she discusses Picaflor in an official Philadelphia Orchestra video:
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Cristian Macelaru (MM '06, '08) - Grammy Award-winning conductor. Macelaru is Music Director of the Orchestre National de France (since September 2020), Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Director of the George Enescu Festival. He conducted the Orchestre National de France at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, performing for over a billion viewers worldwide. He is also Distinguished Visiting Artist at the Shepherd School. He studied with the late Larry Rachleff. Visit his official website for more.
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Karim Sulayman (MM '01) - Grammy Award-winning tenor. Sulayman won the 2019 Grammy for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for his debut album Songs of Orpheus (Avie Records). His third album Broken Branches (Pentatone, 2023) with guitarist Sean Shibe was nominated for the 2024 Grammy in the same category and debuted at number 1 on the UK Classical Chart. In 2016, he created a viral social experiment called "I Trust You," standing blindfolded outside Trump International Hotel in New York City. Watch the video here:
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James Gaffigan (MM '03) - Conductor. Gaffigan was recognized at the 66th Grammy Awards for his work with the Bergen Philharmonic on Missy Mazzoli's album Dark with Excessive Bright, nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
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Blanton Alspaugh ('87) - 11-time Grammy-winning classical music producer. Alspaugh was a conducting student of Samuel Jones, the first dean of the Shepherd School. He was nominated at the 67th Grammy Awards for Best Opera Recording for Moravec: The Shining and Best Classical Compendium for American Counterpoints.
Programs and Degrees
The Shepherd School offers the following degrees:
Undergraduate:
- Bachelor of Music (BM): Four-year degree in performance (orchestral instruments, piano, voice, guitar, organ, harpsichord), composition, or music history. Courses are taught exclusively by faculty, with classes averaging fewer than 30 students.
Graduate:
- Master of Music (MM): Two-year program in performance, composition, conducting, or musicology.
- Artist Diploma: Advanced performance program for students who already hold a master's degree or equivalent.
- Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA): Terminal degree in performance, composition, or conducting.
The school presents more than 400 free concerts and recitals annually, attracting approximately 70,000 concert-goers. World-renowned musicians who have performed and conducted master classes at the Shepherd School include Yo-Yo Ma, Andre Watts, Itzhak Perlman, Cecilia Bartoli, and Renee Fleming.
In 2025, the school announced that David Chan, concertmaster of the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, would join the faculty as full-time professor of violin.
Admissions and Tuition
Application deadlines for fall 2026:
- Undergraduate application: December 1 (via Common Application or Rice portal)
- Graduate application: December 1
- Prescreening materials: Due with application
- FAFSA deadline: February 1 (school code 003604)
- CSS Profile deadline: February 1 (school code 6609)
- Shepherd School Financial Assistance Application: Required for merit scholarship consideration
Tuition for the 2026-27 academic year:
- Undergraduate tuition (entered 2024 and later): $71,140
- Mandatory fees: $984
- On-campus living expenses: $20,530
- Total cost of attendance (on-campus): $97,309
- Average freshman aid package: $71,698
- Average responsibility for families receiving aid: $15,426
Rice University's financial aid program, The Rice Investment, provides loan-free financial aid. Families earning up to $200,000 with typical assets pay no tuition. Families earning up to $130,000 with typical assets pay no tuition, fees, or room and board. Rice meets the full demonstrated financial need of all admitted students through grants, not loans.
International applicants are considered on a need-aware basis. A limited number of international first-year applicants receive need-based financial aid. International students admitted without requesting financial aid cannot apply for aid in subsequent years.
Real-World Example
A violinist accepted into the BM program for fall 2026 faces $71,140 in tuition plus $984 in fees and $20,530 in on-campus living expenses, totaling $92,654 in direct costs. If the student's family earns under $130,000 with typical assets, The Rice Investment covers tuition, fees, and room and board entirely. The student pays $0. Over four years, the student saves approximately $370,616 compared to paying full price. Even for families earning between $130,000 and $200,000, tuition is fully covered, saving approximately $284,560 over four years. The student studies with faculty including the Met Opera concertmaster (David Chan), performs in the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra, and joins alumni who hold positions in the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, National Symphony, Met Opera Orchestra, and LA Philharmonic.
Shepherd School alumni include Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize winners. The school does not publish a comprehensive list of notable alumni, but graduates have debuted at Carnegie Hall and appeared with major chamber ensembles and orchestras worldwide.
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
The Shepherd School is the right choice if you want conservatory-level training within a top-tier research university. Rice University is consistently ranked among the best values in higher education. The Rice Investment is one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country, potentially covering all costs for families earning under $130,000. This makes Rice more affordable than most standalone conservatories, despite the high sticker price.
The small size is a strength. With approximately 15 percent undergraduate acceptance and small incoming classes, you get individualized attention from faculty who are actively performing musicians. The 400-plus annual concerts mean abundant performance opportunities. The new Brockman Music and Performing Arts Center (2022) provides state-of-the-art facilities.
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and has a growing arts scene. The Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and Houston Ballet are all major organizations. However, Houston is not a primary hub for commercial music, film scoring, or the recording industry. If your goals lean toward these fields, consider schools in LA, Nashville, or NYC.
The Shepherd School is exclusively focused on classical music. There are no programs in jazz, popular music, music production, or music business. If you want a broader musical education, look at USC Thornton, Berklee, or Indiana University.
Visit the official Shepherd School website for full audition requirements and program details.
Potential Drawbacks
- Classical only: No jazz, popular music, production, or music business programs.
- Houston location: Strong for classical music but not a major center for commercial music, film, or tech.
- High sticker price: $71,140 tuition for 2026-27, though The Rice Investment can make it very affordable.
- International aid limitations: Need-aware admissions for international students, with limited aid available.
- Small school: Fewer ensemble and social options compared to larger music schools like Indiana University.
Related Resources
- Music Schools Directory - Compare Rice Shepherd School with other music schools
- Streaming Royalty Calculator - Project streaming revenue for performing artists
- Complete Guide to Making Money as a Musician in 2026 - Career planning for conservatory graduates
- 21 Ways Musicians Can Earn Income - Income strategies for performing musicians
Related Schools
- University of Texas Butler School - Another major Texas university music program
- Indiana University Jacobs School of Music - Large university music school with strong classical programs
- USC Thornton School of Music - University-based music school in a major US city
- Yale School of Music - Another elite university music program with generous financial aid
