Welcome to The Shepherd School of Music

When Sallie Shepherd Perkins entered into an agree­ment with Rice University to endow The Shepherd School of Music, it was a realization of her lifelong dream and a testament to her love of music. Her gift laid the foundation from which one of the nation’s premier music schools has grown and flourished, preparing young musicians to succeed in the world of classical music and beyond.

The Shepherd School of Music now boasts world-class faculty, students with exceptional musical and academic talent, and acoustically magnificent concert halls. Our graduates have won coveted positions in orchestras all over the globe. They have sung in some of the world’s most prestigious opera houses and recital halls, and they hold faculty appointments at major academic institutions. We are highly regarded in our home city, where more than 70,000 Houstonians regularly attend over 350 concerts and recitals offered by Shepherd School students and faculty each year.

“One of my greatest interests in life has been music…indeed music might be called my life work finding fruition in The Shepherd School of Music.”

-- Sallie Shepherd Perkins