Colorado Springs Conservatory is packing up and moving to a new home.

After 14 years in its current location at 415 Sahwatch St. the longtime, award-winning, after-school arts preparatory program is relocating to new digs at First United Methodist Church, 420 N. Nevada Ave.

“The building wasn’t providing everything we could to our students,” said Conservatory CEO Nathan Halvorson. “This (current) space is perfect for what we needed for the last 14 years, but it was time for us to move into a space where the school could grow and accommodate the kind of classes we want to teach. It seemed like a natural next step in the journey of the school.”

The nonprofit will start its multi-year lease Aug. 1 and move into two dedicated floors in the historic church Aug. 4. The space served as the church’s base of operations, but is being streamlined to create space for community organizations. Chamber Orchestra of the Springs and Colorado Springs Chorale also operate out of the 130,000-square foot-church.

While the new space is 2,000 square feet smaller than the conservatory’s old building, Halvorson says the structure of the church will accommodate more students and the ability to rehearse full-size productions. The new space also has a larger recording studio, allowing a 40-person chorale or chamber orchestra to record.

“It’s very difficult to do a dance class or a dance rehearsal in the current space,” he said. “In the new space we have several rooms that are quite large. That makes our curriculum easier to teach and share, and creates more access points and allows us to bring more students into the school.”

Halvorson expects the new fall schedule to look similar to past years. The conservatory also will now seek to expand its offerings through partnership programs, field trips, residencies and more public performances. Almost 2,000 students have participated in after school and partner programs during the last year.

Founded in 1994 by Linda Weise, a classically-trained musician, the conservatory has moved locations several times over the years. Halvorson estimates tens of thousands of kids and teens ages 4 to 19 have participated in its tuition-based classes, private lessons and performance opportunities around the Pikes Peak region. Students work on skills and tools needed to enter college and have also gone on to find careers in the arts, including as Broadway stars, internationally-known opera singers, costume designers and audio engineers.