Jeannette Thurber

Jeannette Thurber was amongst the first major patrons of classical music in the United States. Thurber established the National Conservatory of Music of America in 1885—the first of its kind and an endeavor that some say ushered in the first orchestral music with a distinctively American sound. But in a very radical stance for the day, Thurber championed the rights of women, people of color, and people with disabilities to attend her school, sometimes on full scholarship. This was 1885—two decades since the end of the American Civil War—and her school was racially integrated, promoted women, and had an inclusive stance toward people with disabilities.