The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (Russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени Н. А. Римского-Корсакова) (formerly known as the Petrograd Conservatory and Leningrad Conservatory) is a school of music in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members and 1,400 students.
History
The conservatory was founded in 1862 by the Russian Music Society and Anton Rubinstein, a Russian pianist and composer.[1] On his resignation in 1867, he was succeeded by Nikolai Zaremba. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was appointed as a professor in 1871, and the conservatory has borne his name since 1944, the centenary of his birth.[1] In 1887, Rubinstein returned to the conservatory with the goal of improving overall standards. He revised the curriculum, expelled inferior students, fired and demoted many professors, and made entrance and examination requirements more stringent. In 1891, he resigned again over the Imperial demand of racial quotas.
The current building was erected in the 1890s on the site of the old Bolshoi Theatre of Saint Petersburg. As the city changed its name in the 20th century, the conservatory was renamed Petrograd Conservatory (Петроградская консерватория) and Leningrad Conservatory (Ленинградская консерватория).
^Rubinstein. A., Autobiography of Rubinstein (New York, Haskell House Publishers Ltd, 1969. 1st Published 1890) pp.104-105
^Biography of Sidor Belarsky at Florida Atlantic University
^Brigham Young University Special Collections - Biography of Sidor Belarsky on lib.byu
^Ellis Island Interviews: Immigrants Tell Their Stories In their Own Words. Coan, Peter M. Fall River Press, 1997 p. 268 Interview & biography of Isabel Belarsky - daughter of Sidor Belarsky on Google Books
^"Jewish Frontier" Labor Zionist Letters Inc. 1995 p. 22 Sidor Belarsky On Google Books
^Vaitmaa, Merike (2001). "Kuldar Sink". Grove Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.25881. (subscription required)
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint Petersburg Conservatory.
Official website (in Russian, French and English)
Documentary A Music Lesson on Saint Petersburg Conservatory