The Peabody Institute was founded in 1857 as America’s first academy of music by philanthropist George Peabody. Today, Peabody boasts a preeminent faculty, a nurturing, collaborative learning environment, and the academic resources of one of the nation’s leading universities, Johns Hopkins. Each year, Peabody stages more than 150 major concerts and performances, ranging from classical to contemporary to jazz, many of them free — a testament to the vision of George Peabody. This season, Peabody celebrates its 150th anniversary, solidifying its role as one of the nation’s leading sources of professionally trained musicians.