The Kazan State Conservatoire found in 1945 was the first one in the Middle Volga region. Its 60-year anniversary the conservatoire celebrated in the new status of Academy and with the new name – in 2001 it was named after Nazib Zhiganov, the founder of the conservatoire, famous Tatar composer and public benefactor.

Nowadays Kazan Conservatoire is one of the leading higher educational institutions of Russia, great cultural, musical, creative and scientific center of the multinational Volga and Ural regions.

The educational programmes are realized at seven faculties (piano, orchestra, choir conducting, vocal, folk instruments, theory and composition, Tatar musical art) and 18 departments. The studying process is connected with the practical creative, scientific and pedagogical activity. There are many permanently developing and leading the concert activity creative groups of students: symphonic orchestra, academic choir, opera studio, chamber orchestra, orchestra of folk instruments, Tatar music orchestra. The performing level of the students groups allows them to present the professional musical art of Tatarstan in the classical and folk concert programmes in Russia as well as abroad. Over 150 students and graduates of the Kazan conservatoire, Tatar music orchestra, choir of the Opera Studio won many different prizes taking place in various competitions during the last 10 years.

The growing authority of Kazan performing school influences on the intensive development of the international links, including concert, pedagogical practice and scientific work. Young people from different regions of Russia as well as from China, Korea, Japan, USA study at the conservatoire.

The Kazan State Conservatoire is the center of International, All-Russia, Interregional, Republican festivals, competitions, conferences and seminars. Such festivals, as «Pianoforum», International festival of organ music «Organo pleno», International Choir Assembly, the competitions of singers and performers on the folk instruments, chamber singers and concertmasters and others are regularly held here.

One of the most important directions of the conservatoire work is the study and research of Tatar folk and professional music, the development of national art and propaganda of the achievements of Tatar musical culture. The directions of the studying process, connected with Tatar musical culture, are incomparable in the world educational practice. The department of Tatar music was open in 1989; the faculty of Tatar musical art, founded in 1995, is the only faculty of this kind in the world.

Pedagogical system of the Kazan Conservatoire brought up world-famous musicians, such as Sofia Gubaidulina, Oleg Lundstrem, Michail Pletnev; many bright persons of musical culture of Tatarstan. Maintenance and development of the best Russian traditions of musical professionalism is the security of bringing up new generations of talented musicians. In 1997 the Kazan conservatoire became a winner of the All-Russia competition «The Window to Russia» in the nomination «The Best Fine Art Institution».