The Academy of Music

The Academy of Music was a music conservatory located in the United States. The academy was once considered one of the foremost music academies in the southeast, and the primary music academy in the state of North Carolina. Centrally located downtown in the metropolitan city of Raleigh, North Carolina, the Academy taught a number of University age students as well as advanced high school students.. Along with other famed conservatories such as The Juilliard School, The Jacobs School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music, the Academy of Music had achieved some level of international prominence through its commitment to the highest standards of musical leadership and excellence. The school was established in 1899 by industrialist and philanthropist Charles Ray Wafer, founder of the American Tobacco Company.

Today, the school is no more. Due to financial problems, the main building was sold in 1922, and the school closed. Prior to its closing, the school recruited students from around the state of North Carolina, and provided a firm musical foundation for the people of North Carolina.

History

Henrey P. Lynn, a Dutch bassoonist of great distinction, was the school's first director. He was succeeded by composer Walter Lee Nye in 1900, who had an enormous impact on the development of the school, holding his post for decades and continuing his involvement in music after the closing of the school. Today, the school's main building functions as an administration building for Raleigh school system. The building was designed by A.G. Bauer.