Its small student body, diverse in age, background and geographical area of origin, pursued immersion studies in music and dance with a jazz emphasis.
[citation needed] The Hartford Conservatory was one of the nation’s oldest performing arts schools.
It later became known as the Hartford Conservatory and provided not only a community program of weekly instruction in music and dance for all ages and levels, but also an accredited two- and three-year post-secondary immersion program in music, dance, theater and recording arts.
Not only sacred and secular classical music performances, but city premieres of avant-garde works were presented under Conservatory sponsorship in collaboration with the Wadsworth Atheneum’s Chick Austin and other Hartford notables.
School officials attributed the decision to a "mix of competitive and economic factors, not the least of which is the venerable institution's business model.