Conservatory for the Arts
About the Conservatory
Discover your creative spirit!
Young artists flourish in Mayfield's Conservatory for the Arts
We dance, draw, paint, write, take stunning photos and sing our hearts out. We love to perform under a spotlight. The Conservatory is far more than an extracurricular activity. With rigor and excitement our UC-accredited courses unfold on stage, in studios and in hands-on workshops as Mayfield trains the next generation of artists and artistic thinkers.
We nurture and develop artistic talent
Mayfield’s signature Conservatory for the Arts program strikes an engaging balance for both aspiring and dedicated artists. For more than 25 years our program has produced artistic thinkers who know how to integrate creativity, voice and expression into their lives. Our artists develop confidence and resilience as they form bonds with a group of girls who become their closest friends.
Mayfield teachers are working artists who enthusiastically share their real-world knowledge at every meeting. As Holy Child educators they teach students to use their artistic gifts to engage with and interpret the world around them.
— Cornelia Connelly
Art is a universal language, and also a discipline which calls for close attention, leading to wonderment and contemplation.
Upcoming Shows & Events
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Visual Arts
Students explore creative mediums with curiosity in the art studio where they are encouraged to develop their individual expression. -
Theatre
The techniques and concepts of drama, including acting, directing and dramaturgy, come alive in a full season of plays. -
Technical Theatre
This hands-on class teaches the artistry of lighting, sound, stage management and set building and design. -
Photography
Young photographers develop a personal vision by learning the techniques of black and white processes, digital camera operation and media arts. -
Vocal Music
The nationally acclaimed Mayfield Women’s Ensemble is a credit to students’ study of vocal style and technique. -
Instrumental Music
From classical to popular, jazz to world music, Mayfield musicians learn and perform a variety of styles and play from the heart. -
Film & Media
This eye-opening conservatory introduces students to all aspects of the art of making film, video and digital media. -
Dance
Dancers take to the stage in popular performances, expressing their skills through creative choreography and technique. -
Creative Writing
Authors delve into fiction and poetry writing in a literary and artistic environment, collaborating with performing artists on new works.
Conservatory News
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“A Night at the Museum” brings artwork to vivid life
Read More Add Comment“A Night at the Museum,” presented by Mayfield’s Dance and Technical Theatre Conservatories, is set to take audience members on a journey of light, fantasy, and art, right from the whimsical opening number, choreographed to music from the 2006 film “A Night at the Museum.” -
A writer’s touch: bestselling author Janet Fitch offers tangible advice
Have you ever picked up a scarf and just felt it? Closed your eyes, no talking, just your touch and the scarf. You don’t know what color it is, where it came from, or who gave it to you, but you just feel it. And as you are feeling, you smell a familiar scent and hear the sound of nature in the background. The room’s edges become defined, the light is reflecting and making shadows...you no longer feel the fabric in your hands. Instead, you feel the story, the character.Read More Add Comment -
Senior Art Show presents an early expression of each artist
Read More Add CommentThe September opening of the senior visual art show gave the Mayfield community a glimpse of the talent that the Class of 2020 has to offer. “The show is a beginning point, with a combination of work they have done at Mayfield that could be in their portfolio,” said AP Studio Art teacher Amy Green. “Starting things at the top of the year, they can see their history and are able to see—hopefully—at least one piece that has a spark for their investigations.” -
Mayfield artists put themselves ‘out there’ to strong reviews
Mayfield artists pushed outside the familiar gates of Bellefontaine this spring, taking a bold step to put their art “out there” before critics, adjudicators and the public. The results are worthy of a standing ovation:Read More Add Comment -
Dancers show skill, confidence and beauty in ‘Locomotion’ Choreographers’ Ball
In a delightfully entertaining show of talent and heartfelt emotion, the Dance Conservatory’s 2019 Choreographers’ Ball showcased the skills of our junior and senior dancers and our Technical Theatre members who created the 100% student-run show.Read More Add Comment -
The soaring voices of Mayfield’s Women’s Ensemble score a strong “A” at prestigious national festival.
Our acclaimed Women’s Ensemble received among the top scores at a national choir festival following their three-song performance that earned seven “perfect tens” for blend, balance difficulty and rhythm.Read More Add Comment -
'Into the Woods' is more than great theatre, it’s a bold collaboration
Beneath the black cape a screaming, mean old Witch is a student overcame stage fright. The musicians tucked in the orchestra pit had never experienced the rigor of playing for a live stage production. Those three massive moveable trees on stage? Our technical theatre students started building them back in January, pneumatic staplers in hand.Read More Add Comment -
Mayfield creative writers and visual artists win 18 prestigious awards
Read More Add CommentTwo Mayfield poets wrote from the heart, personal messages they hold dear. A student photographer captured a poignant moment with her grandmother, a shot she treasures. A painter took a risk with a multimedia project and decided to put her work and vulnerability on display. -
Mayfield visual artists learn what it takes to curate college portfolios
Navigating the college application process is stressful enough. For prospective visual art students it’s even trickier—they face a myriad of portfolio requirements and another layer of deadlines.Read More Add Comment -
Two sisters, freshman and senior, share the stage at “Imagine” Dance Conservatory show
Read More Add CommentThe duo begins in the center of a darkened stage. A harsh overhead light illuminates their side-by-side forms. The freshman dancer, Drew Valentino, faces front. Only the back of her older sister, Avery, is visible before the two pull the width of the stage away from each other in perfect synchronization. -
Art students get real-world design experience and we benefit!
When Mayfield Patrons for the Arts decided to sponsor a custom Christmas ornament, Visual Arts teacher Amy Green saw a great opportunity to engage her students in a real-world experience in artistic design.Read More Add Comment -
New York Times best-selling author enthralls Creative Writing students and offers insightful advice
Read More Add CommentOur Creative Writing Conservatory students gathered in the cozy Sussex Room recently to experience an enthralling workshop led by New York Times best-selling writer Natashia Deón. -
"The Miracle Worker" challenges actors and teaches compassion
Read More Add CommentThese are the most challenging roles our Theatre Conservatory students said they have ever played.Helen Keller, blind and mute. No lines. All expression.Annie, Helen’s passionate and determined teacher. Energized spirit. Heart and mind on fire. -
Mayfield creators transform campus into art spaces
The work of our Mayfield artists transformed the Student Commons into an art gallery and performing arts space, brought beautiful music to Strub Hall and turned the Pike stage into a dance and theatre performing arts house.Read More Add Comment -
Theatre students learn that smiling for the camera is harder than it seems
“Chin up a little bit...good, good. Now look into the camera and now tell me an amazing secret with your eyes,” theatre teacher Andrea Sweeney ’12 told her student. “Relax your jaw... Ah! These are so good!”Read More Add Comment -
Hollywood seeks out Mayfield arts teacher “Mr. T.” for his oversized secrets
We all know that faculty member Paul Tzanetopoulos is a dream-come-true when it comes to excellence in visual and digital arts. Now the visionaries at DreamWorks Animation do too!Read More Add Comment -
Mayfield Women’s Ensemble wins big at competition. ‘We sing better because we are close friends,’ senior says.
The glorious voices of the Mayfield Women’s Ensemble won top honors, including the Best Overall Choir award, at the prestigious WorldStrides San Francisco Heritage festival over the weekend, elevating our singers to the highest echelons of high school choirs in the nation.Read More Add Comment -
Mayfield at Mayfield—East Sussex, England that is!
Read More Add/View Comments (1)They walked in the footsteps of Holy Child foundress Cornelia Connelly and climbed 528 stairs to reach the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral. They not only visited Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, but also learned how to act out two scenes from Romeo and Juliet at The Globe Theatre. They received a special blessing in Canterbury Cathedral, visited multiple museums and saw the hilarious West End musical, Matilda. -
Jesus is a young woman. Mesmerizing masks steal the show. Mayfield’s spring theatre productions have flair
Two spring theatre productions within two weeks of each other brought a frenzy of artistry, drama and a lot of set changes to Pike Auditorium as Godspell and Everywoman featured two all-female casts of musicians, singers and actors on stage.Read More Add Comment -
“Everywoman” theatre production features dazzling masks and a teenage spin
You just can’t take your eyes off those mesmerizing masks! It’s not enough that our Theatre Conservatory students to rewrote the medieval morality play Everyman into their own powerhouse voice of Everywoman. They delved deep into artistic interpretation to design and make Commedia-style masks to represent their characters.Read More Add Comment
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Established in 1931, Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, CA is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for young women grades 9-12. Noted for its rigorous academic program, which includes 21 Advanced Placement and Honors courses, Mayfield’s curriculum is underscored by a philosophy of educating the “whole child,” which also encourages commitment to and excellence in the arts, athletics, community service and spiritual growth. The nurturing environment at Mayfield Senior School allows each student to flourish in an atmosphere of personal attention.