1954
Founded in 1871, the Chicago Musical College offered courses in music, acting, “elocution, oratory and physical culture.” After the merger, its president, legendary pianist Rudolph Ganz, continued to serve the University for another two decades.
CMC alumni include five-time Oscar nominee Irene Dunne and Broadway songwriter Jules Styne. In 1955, CMC graduate Robert McFerrin became the first black man to perform at the Metropolitan Opera — only a month after Marian Anderson, a member of Roosevelt’s advisory board, first broke that color barrier.