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"conservatory suite"
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A conservatory is a school dedicated to teaching the art of music including playing of musical instruments, musical composition, musicianship and music theory. A conservatory is also another name for a large greenhouse where plants are cultivated. Many of the vegetables available today in St. Petersburg, Russia, for example, are grown under glass in acres of greenhouses that rim the city, a necessity for the climate. The St. Petersburg greenhouses date from shortly after the founding of the city of Peter the Great at the dawn of the eighteenth century. By the middle of the 19th century, the popularity of greenhouses had grown exponentially. What's more, materials became less expensive and more readily available, so greenhouses and growing plants under glass were no longer a pastime only of the wealthy. Small greenhouses and conservatories of many designs were added to middle class Victorian houses. There was also competition by cities and countries to build conservatories as part of grand public parks. These housed exotic, non-native plants as well as common varieties, and remain popular today. One of the most famous glass buildings in the world was the Great Exhibition's Crystal Palace, built in London in 1850-51 for the Great Exhibition. Chief architect was Joseph Paxton (1803-65), former gardener to the sixth Duke of Devonshire (the Bachelor Duke). It contained all kinds of exhibits, not only plants. Nonetheless, the design of the Crystal Palace influenced decades worth of greenhouses and conservatories. Paxton was influenced by the achievements of Knight and Loudon in creating more efficient greenhouses. During the seventeenth century, improvements in building glass walls and providing heat through ductwork made greenhouses ever more efficient. Nor were they considered exclusively functional. Strolling, taking tea, admiring the plants brought more and more people into the conservatories. And architects constantly improved the looks of the glass structures, bringing the outdoors inside. In the eighteenth century, glass houses for the cultivation of oranges, lemons and pineapples were built all over Europe. The orangery or pinery generally had a solid roof, tile floor and huge windows facing south to ensure the greatest amount of sunlight. In the summer, the plants were set out of doors, a feat accomplished without difficulty by a large staff of gardeners. These orangeries were usually set some distance from the house. Almost twenty years ago, The French government unveiled a plan to replace the aging Conservatory building on the Rue de Madrid with a new jewel in its diadem of arts buildings. The result is the Conservatoire de Paris, a complex at the Porte de la Villette. In addition to several theaters in the former marketplace building (Les Halles), the complex houses a "cite de la musique" containing a music museum, shops, a place for recitals and lectures, a "mediatheque" (the newest form of library), an audiovisual center, and an extraordinary training facility for music and dance. Not long ago, the Garfield Park Conservatory (Ill.) seemed beyond salvaging--it was old, needed refurbishing and had few patrons. Enter the guys with white hats. First, the Chicago Park District launched an $8 million capital improvement campaign. Then a task force of 80 community groups convened and developed the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and funding programs, visitor service and community relations at the conservatory. The alliance received its funding from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, which seeks to rejuvenate urban parks through creative partnerships. Boston Conservatory - private institution in Boston, Mass. The conservatory was founded in 1867 and grants bachelor's and master's degrees in a variety of performing arts disciplines, including dance, music, opera, theater, voice, instruments, and music education. Students have numerous opportunities to gain performance experience through the conservatory's productions. Bloedel Floral Conservatory, Queen Elizabeth Park: The Conservatory is one of the most popular attractions in Vancouver and is open daily, rain or shine. A modest fee is charged. It is dedicated to the wonders of the natural world with an emphasis on plants and birds. As a matter of fact, over 100 birds of various species call the Bloedel Conservatory home and free-fly within its spacious dome. It was constructed through a very generous donation from Prentice Bloedel in 1969. That same donation enabled the Park Board to cover the main reservoir atop Queen Elizabeth Park. On September 20, the historic Victorian glass house in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was finally reopened to the public after an eight-year, $25 million restoration. Celebrate the occasion at an extravaganza featuring live performances, horticultural demonstrations, and kids' activities. Inside the 12,000-square-foot conservatory, visitors can view 1,500 species of rare and unusual tropical plants from more than 50 countries; the plants are displayed in six different climate chambers. Of particular interest is the Plant Explorers Exhibit (in the Lowland Tropics dome), which tells the stories and displays the gear of plant explorers past and present. YOU MUST not be be misled by the beauty of Boca Raton, Florida, or The Harid Conservatory's state-of-the-art facility, small, full-scholarship enrollment, ideal living quarters, and enriched academic program. This is a tough school, based on methodology and dedicated to producing professional dancers. Harid Conservatory was established in 1987 through the gift of an anonymous donor, to provide professional training for gifted young dancers and musicians from the United States and abroad, selected through audition for full-tuition scholarships. The school offers a four-year curriculum that includes ballet, modern, character, and jazz dance; music studies; art and dance history; nutrition; kinesiology and Pilates-based conditioning; career-related seminars; and dance performance.
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