The occasion's festivities included a performance by the Juilliard Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. In honor of the centennial, the Empire State Building was lit in red and blue, the school's colors.

Joseph W. Polisi, Juilliard's president, said, "The school has a national and international legacy that has immeasurably enriched the performing arts. The centennial year will celebrate this legacy through education, performance, and the creation of new work."

The centennial celebrations include a multimedia exhibit about the school currently installed at the New York Library for the Performing Arts, which is at Lincoln Center, through January 14, and a tour of music and dance performances to Chicago, Washington, D.C., Dallas, San Diego, and Los Angeles.

Trumpter and Jazz at Lincoln Center artistic director Wynton Marsalis, who teaches at Juilliard, said, "The finest young artists come from their environments all over the world to discover how to transform talent into first-class artistry. The Juilliard experience does this over and over again."

More information about centennial events can be found at www.juilliard.edu/centennial.