30. But she soon suffered a blow when her application to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia was rejected
After her summer scholarship ended, Nina decided to apply to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. It guaranteed one-to-one tuition and gave full scholarships to every student, but perhaps even more importantly her mother and two younger siblings moved to Philadelphia in late 1950. Nina stayed in New York to prepare for her audition in April 1951, and moved in with her family soon afterward. But within days came the crushing news that she had been rejected. For the rest of her life, Nina believed that this was motivated by racism. Curtis awarded her an honorary degree in 2003.
