St. Petersburg Conservatory was founded in 1862 following the initiative and through the active organizational skills of the renowned pianist and composer Anton. Rubinstein.

During its first year as many as 179 students were enrolled, the number went up to 200 in later years. Many renowned musicians were among the conservatory professors. The names of the first graduates occupy a prominent place in the history of world music. Among them there is the name of the famous Russian composer Peter Tchaikovsky, who was awarded a silver medal upon his graduation in 1865. His name is carved first into a marble plaque.

A great influence on what will later become a school of composition and theory was N. Rimsky-Korsakov, whose contribution to conservatory life was immense.

Currently, the conservatory has 6 departments: department of composition and conducting, piano, orchestral instruments, voice and stage directing, musicology, and folk instruments. The departments can boast of the world famous composers, conductors, singers, pianists, organists, orchestra instruments performers, opera directors, ballet masters, musicologists.

At the turn of the XXI century the conservatory aims to revive and expand the tradition of the predecessors. Many graduates became laureates of prestigious international competitions, holding prominent places in the musical world. The conservatory is actively involved in International symposiums and master classes both as an organizer and a participant. For years the conservatory has maintained cooperation with the largest universities and music schools of Hamburg, Dresden, Koln, Wrozlaw, Rotterdam, Boston, Birmingham and others. The year 2001 marked the beginning of the annual event «The International Conservatory Week Festival».

The conservatory’s pride is the building which was constructed in 1896 especially to fit for the school’s purposes, it houses the Opera and ballet theater and Glazunov concert hall.

Currently the conservatory employs more than 400 teachers and provides education for over 1300 students. Since 1975 the conservatory has been actively enrolling foreign students whose total number today is estimated to be 250 people from 38 countries of the world. Conservatory graduates are among the most sought after in the world: they easily secure jobs in the best symphonic orchestras, perform as soloists for the prestigious stages, direct ballets and operas, at the same time continuing the tradition of the Russian musical education, working as teachers for music schools, academies and universities.