Eleven years later, in 1830, he managed to get permission to open at his home "free teaching of figured bass and composition".

Rubinstein's co-founder was Prince Nikolai Petrovitch Troubetzkoy, chairman of the Moscow branch of the Russian Musical Society (1863-1876).

First of all, classes in choral singing (Konstantin Albrecht) and elementary music theory (Eduard Langer, then Nikolai Rubinstein and Nikolay Kashkin) were organized.

Solo singing (Bertha Walzek and Adolf Osberg) and playing various instruments began to be taught: violin (Karl Klamroth and Vasily Bezekirsky), piano (Nikolai Rubinstein, Eduard Langer and Nikolay Kashkin), cello (Karl Ezef), flute (Ferdinand Büchner), trumpet (Fyodor Richter).

In 1864 the number of pupils exceeded two hundred, and the Russian Musical Society rented Voeikova's house on Mokhovaya Street, where Rubinstein's apartment was located.

In 1866, teachers Ludwig Minkus (violin), Józef Wieniawski and Anton Door (piano), and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (elementary music theory) joined.

The highest permission for the opening of the Moscow Conservatory, at the request of the August Patroness of the Society, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, followed on 24 December 1865.

The Conservatory was financed by the income of the Russian Musical Society from concert activities, as well as city and government subsidies, donations from private individuals and tuition fees.

[6] In the early years of its activity the Conservatory was taught by professors: piano - Nikolai Rubinstein, Józef Wieniawski, C. F. Wilshau (adjunct), Anton Door, C. E. Weber (adjunct), Alexandre Dubuque, A. K. Zander (adjunct), Karl Klindworth (from 1868), Nikolay Kashkin, E. L. Langer (adjunct), L. F. Langer (from 1869), Nikolai Zverev (junior piano classes from 1870); solo singing - A. D. Alexandrova-Kochetova, B. O. Walzek, Vladimir Kashperov, A. R. Osberg, J. Galvani (from 1869); violin - Ferdinand Laub, Ludwig Minkus, Jan Hřímalý (from 1869 - adjunct, from 1874 - professor), G. Shradik (adjunct); cello - B. Kosman, Wilhelm Fitzenhagen (from 1870); double bass - G. F. Spekin; flute - F. F. Büchner; oboe - E. F. Meder; clarinet - W. Guth; French horn - M. Barthold, trumpet - F. B. Richter, bassoon - K. F. Ezer; history and theory of church singing in Russia - D. V. Razumovsky; music-theoretical subjects - Konstantin Albrecht, N. A. Hubert, Nikolay Kashkin, E. L. Langer, Herman Laroche, A. S. Razmadze; elementary music theory and harmony - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (since 1870 - instrumentation and free composition).

A. Masetti was invited, who raised solo singing to the highest level, creatively combining the best of the Italian and Russian schools.

In the summer of 1877, Prince M. S. Vorontsov's house on Nikitskaya Street was finally acquired by the Moscow branch of the Russian Musical Society.

On 27 November 1893 it was decided to build a conservatory designed by academician of architecture V. P. Zagorsky on the site of Prince Vorontsov's house.

In 1983, the building of the Synodal School of Church Singing (former Kolychevy House, in the style of classicism, built in the late 18th century by an unknown architect of the school M. F. Kazakov; since 1925 it housed the law faculty of Moscow State University) was added to the conservatory, which was granted the status of the third academic building of the conservatory.

In 1931-1932, solving the «task of proletarianisation», Narkompros decided to rename the Moscow Conservatory into «Feliks Kon Higher Music School».