Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts grows with new theater, housing and dining hubs: 'Very excited'

NORWALK — As it approaches its second year, the Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts is expanding with three new campus locations that will open over the course of the next 12 months.
The new theater, housing and dining hubs will accommodate a growing student body as the conservatory enters its first full school year as an degree-granting institution after earning accreditation last November, President Danny Loftus George said.

Classes will start Monday, Aug. 26, for the 83 students registered for the fall semester as of Wednesday, said Christine Moise, the school’s office manager.

The conservatory’s new theater in leased space at 24 Belden Ave. will open first; next Thursday, Aug. 15, marks a new chapter for the school’s students who have been practicing out of rented spaces and classrooms, Loftus George said.

In fact, one of the school’s “biggest issues” at the conservatory previously was not having an in-house theater or performing space, he said.

“The goal is obviously to be able to have all students on campus,” Loftus George said.

Students currently dorm at 102 East Ave. as well as accommodations the conservatory rents at 32 Main Ave. and at the Confluence apartment building at 26 Belden Ave., he said.

Although construction on the interior renovations has not yet begun at the new Isaacs Street location, Loftus George anticipates it will open in November. At that point, some students will move there, but Moise could not confirm the number due to ongoing permitting.

The 47 Wall St. site, acquired in April for $300,000 according to public records, will become a dining location for both students and the public, the president said.

"We're going to (serve) salads, sandwiches, lunchtime food, essentially food that appeals to kids and the local public,” he said. “Nothing that's too expensive. All cost effective.”

Loftus George said he's also "very excited" for the revenue the dining spot slated to open in spring 2025 will bring in.

The campus expansions are all walkable from the conservatory’s main campus at 69 Wall St., he said, noting that student accessibility is important.

The new theater and acquisitions parallel the growth of the school, which offers three kinds of associate's degrees, Loftus George said. As the conservatory moves into year two, the student population has roughly doubled as tit welcomes a new first-year class and other students move to their final year.

Of the 83 students who are registered for class this fall, one is a commuter student.

Even more representative of the conservatory’s growth is the increase in applications year over year, he said.

“We're seeing 300 percent higher than the previous year already,” Loftus George said.

For the 2023-24 school year, the Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts received about 300 applications, Moise said. So far for the upcoming school year, there have been about 1,000 applicants, she said.