The Gnessin Musical College was opened at the height of a new wave of Russian enlightenment at the end of the nineteenth century, just after first two Conservatories were founded in Russia in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

The Gnessin Sisters: Olga, Helena, Eugenia, Maria, Elizabeth. 1905.

The College itself was founded by the sisters Eugenia, Helena and Maria Gnessin who had graduated as pianists from Moscow Conservatory with brilliant success.

The date of foundation is 2 (15) February 1895. This was the day that the first student was taken in.

1900 – The number of students grows, and the College moves to a new building. Its address is now Sobachja Ploshchadka, 5. New classes for harmony and encyclopedics are opened.

1901 – The College graduates its first students, among whom is a younger Gnessin sister, Olga Fabianovna Gnessin. Founding of violin class.

1903 – Eugenia Fabianovna Gnessin organizes children chorus.
Toward the end of the first decade of its existence, the College becomes known as one of the finest in Moscow, providing highly professional education and training musicians as broad specialists.

1910 – Founding of Piano Ensemble class. Beginning of intensive improvements. History of music taught to students of all specialties.

1919 – Gnessin Private Musical College becomes the state musical college and is henceforth called the Second Moscow State Musical School. Founding of Departments of Voice and Wind Instruments.

1920 – The School was given a new status and named: «The Third Moscow Musical Secondary School ("Tekhnikum")».

1923 – Mikhail Gnessin creates Department of Composition and class for Free Composition.

1925 – The School is named after the Gnessin family. Eugenia Fabianovna and Helena Fabianovna Gnessin are awarded the title of "Honored Artists of the Republic."

1935 – Gnessin Institute celebrates its 40^th Anniversary. Eugenia Fabianovna and Helena Fabianovna Gnessin are awarded the title of "Honoured Arts Workers of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic."

1936 – The School gains contemporary name: Gnessin State Musical College.

1944 – The Gnessin State Musical and Musical Teachers' Training Institute is organized on the model of the Gnessin State Musical College. Its aim is "to prepare broadly educated musician-teachers who are also qualified performer."

1947 – Department of Choral Conducting is organized under the direction of chorus conductor and teacher C. Ptitsa.

1951 – Chorus of the Gnessin State Musical College is organized.

1956 – Department of Folk Instruments is opened under the direction of A. Ilyukhin. The College Chamber Orchestra is organized (director – M. Gottlieb). Later, a separate Department of Chamber Music, under the direction of R. Davidian, evolves from this group.

1957 – Division of Correspondence-Education is opened on the model of College. It consists of piano, choral conducting, and folk instrument classes.
Correspondence-education network includes more than two hundred cities by the end of the 1960s.
Piano, vocal and folk instruments (1957), strings, choral conducting and theory and analysis (1959), winds (1960) departments open their evening divisions.

1965 – College is awarded the "Diploma of Presidium of High Council of The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic" in the year of its 70^th Anniversary, in recognition of its achievements in the training of musical staff.

1974 – Gnessin State Musical College moves to a new building. Its address is now Povarskaya (former Vorovskogo) Street, 38. It remains there to this day.

1985 – The College earns Diploma of the Twelfth World Festival of Youth and Students for its participation in its cultural program.

1989 – Program for Enhancement of Professional Skills for music colleges and educators is initiated on the model of the Enhancing Skills Level Courses of the College for the first time in Russia.

1995 – 100^th Anniversary of the Gnessin State Musical College. A grand meeting dedicated to this event is held in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.

1996, 1998 – Jointly with Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation, the College organizes and carries out First All-Russian Gnessin Competition for Young Pianists and First All-Russian Gnessin Competition for Young Violinists.

1998 – Concert Hall of The College is reopened after major renovations. An all-Russian festival – the "Musical Offering to Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin" – is held in the restored Concert Hall.

1999 – The College issues its first Compact Disc, "Musical evenings at Gnesinka," dedicated to the 125th Birthday of Helena Fabianovna Gnessin.

2000 – Gnessin State Music College celebrates its 105th Anniversary.

• The Honoured Artist of Russian Federation Professor Zakhar Bron conducts his masterclass as a part of Second All-Russian competition for young pianists and violinists named after Gnessins.
  
• College holds its 100^th Graduation Ceremonies on the eve of the twenty-first century. Honored guests include Professor Tikhon Nikolaevich Khrennikov (Class of 1932), State Prize Laureate, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Viardo (Class of 1967), Professor of the Moscow Conservatory and Professor of the University of North Texas in Denton, and Valery Grokhovsky (Class of 1979), Professor of the University of Texas in San Antonio.