An 18-year-old bassoonist at the Peabody Conservatory collapsed during a private lesson Monday and was declared dead at Mercy Medical Center, a school spokesman said.
Casey Butler, a first-year student at the conservatory, was in the midst of her weekly lesson about 12:30 p.m. when she lost consciousness, said Richard Selden, the spokesman.
"In a small community such as ours, a loss such as this touches every individual," said Jeffrey Sharkey, the institute director, in an e-mail to students and faculty. Butler had attended Bel Air High School before enrolling at the Peabody.
School officials have offered counseling services to students and plan to post funeral arrangements on the conservatory's website.
Selden said there would be an autopsy.
