After being forced to emigrate from revolutionary Russia, outstanding representatives of the creative intelligentsia had to start their lives from scratch. Despite numerous everyday difficulties, they remained devoted to their calling and professional activities. One of the key tasks of the first wave of Russian emigration was to preserve the national heritage, including the musical one.

In 1923, in Paris, at 26 New York Quay, the Russian conservatory named after Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff, the famous composer, pianist, and conductor, was opened. He was elected honorary chairman of this educational institution. The founder of the conservatory is considered to be Nikolai Nikolayevich Cherepnin. Among the notable teachers were Alexander Glazunov, Alexander Grechaninov, Fyodor Shalyapin, and others.

The conservatory was a higher educational institution organized on the model of the St. Petersburg and Moscow conservatories and continued the traditions of the Imperial Russian Musical Society. When the Russian Musical Society was established abroad in Paris, the school came under its management.

Famous Russian performers appeared at the conservatory, and both Russian and foreign students were trained there. The institution had singing classes and a ballet studio.

Today, the conservatory offers individual and group forms of education in Russian and French. Among the subjects are vocal, piano, violin, flute, and other string and wind instruments. Students study harmony, music theory, solfeggio, and composition. There are also theater courses and Russian language lessons available for both adults and children.

The conservatory is headed by Pyotr Petrovich Sheremetyev, a count, patron, and public figure. He comes from a well-known ancient family, actively supports Russian culture, and strengthens relations between countries. He is also the head of the Russian Musical Society in France.