A great pianist and pedagogue, Theodor Kullak was a student of Carl Czerny in Vienna. In 1844, Kullak established the Tonkünstler-Verein in Berlin and became its director. In 1851, Kullak founded Neue Akademie der Tonkunst, a very successful music and educational organization that was called Kullak's Academy. Theodor Kullak was one of the most outstanding teachers of the Century rivaled only by Liszt. Among Kullak’s students were Scharwenka, Moszkowski, Nikolai Rubinstein.