The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music and sometimes known as the ‘Con’) is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia. Located adjacent to the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens, the Con incorporates a faculty of the University of Sydney, the community-based Conservatorium Open Academy and the Conservatorium High School.

Originally constructed in 1821 as the stables for the proposed Government House of New South Wales, the structure that houses the Conservatorium is one of the few surviving works of the convict architect, Francis Greenway. A gothic structure with turrets, the building was described as a "palace for horses" and is a portrayal of the romantic vision of Governor Lachlan Macquarie and the British architectural trends of the time. The stables, located close to picturesque Sydney Harbour, reflect the building techniques and the range of materials and skills employed during the early settlement era.