Moscow's Tchaikovsky Conservatory to Offer Pre-College Program in Chongqing, China

Tchaikovsky Conservatory Rector Alexander Sokolov has signed a memo signaling his intention to establish a degree-granting institution in the Chinese city

A new pre-college music program administered by Moscow's Tchaikovsky Conservatory and China's Chongqing Normal University will prepare Chinese high school students for tertiary music study in Russia.

The program will offer courses in Russian, applied music (piano/voice/instrumental studies/choral conducting), and theory. Once Chinese students have completed this program they become eligible to apply for the Tchaikovsky Conservatory — where Chinese students already account for 85% of the international student population.

With a population of 32 million, Chongqing is significantly larger than either Beijing (22 million) or Shanghai (25 million) — but the city has not yet developed a strong musical profile, creating an opportunity for the Tchaikovsky Conservatory to fill that gap in the market.

Alexander Sokolov, the rector of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, signed a memo with the municipality of Chongqing on September 24, 2024, which signals the conservatory's intention to establish a degree-granting institution in the city.

The pre-college program can therefore be viewed as a pilot scheme, and in all likelihood its trajectory will be similar to that of Tianjin Juilliard, which was established in 2018.

"During the poignant years of the War of Resistance, an unbreakable kinship was forged between Chongqing and the Former Soviet Union, a bond that has stood the test of time," Zhou Yong, Chongqing History Research Association president, told iChongqing. "Today, the collaborative endeavor in music education between Chongqing and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory resonates deeply with our era, symbolizing not only a continuation of historical ties but also an evocative testament to our shared aspirations and collective future."