Cleveland Institute of Music

The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. The school was founded in 1920 by a group of supporters led by Martha Bell Sanders and Mary Hutchens Smith, with Ernest Bloch serving as its first director.^[2] CIM enrolls 325 students in the conservatory and approximately 1,500 students in the preparatory and continuing education programs.^[3] There are typically about 100 openings per year for which 1,000-1,200 prospective students apply.

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Cleveland Institute of Music

Type	Private music conservatory
Established	1920; 104 years ago (1920)
Endowment	$45.1 million (2020)[1]
President	Paul Hogle
Academic staff	185
Students	325
Location	Cleveland , Ohio , United States
Affiliations	Case Western Reserve University
Website	www.cim.edu

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Many members of The Cleveland Orchestra serve as faculty at CIM and CIM alumni can be found in major orchestras throughout the United States and the world.^[4] In 2024, faculty voted to join the American Federation of Musicians.^[5]

CIM is located in the University Circle, a four-mile square neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland.

Opened in 1961, the main building houses teaching studios, practice rooms, recital halls, a music library, and classrooms. The building was expanded in 2007, adding 34,000 square feet of space. This included a new entryway and lobby, an expansion to the music library, a new recital hall, recording/broadcast suites, new practice rooms, and additional administrative offices.^[6][7]

Through a cooperative arrangement with nearby Case Western Reserve University, CIM students have full access to many university amenities, and, if accepted to both institutions, can pursue a dual degree both at CIM and Case Western Reserve.^[8]

The Cleveland Institute of Music is accredited by two agencies:^[9]

• National Association of Schools of Music
• The Higher Learning Commission