Rider University is gearing up for the Westminster Conservatory of Music’s move from its former home on the Westminster Choir College campus in Princeton to the university’s Lawrence Township campus in September.
The Conservatory formerly was the community music school of the Westminster Choir College before the choir college merged with Rider University in 1992. It has offered music lessons to children and adults since its inception in 1970.
It will continue to offer music lessons to children and adults, along with other programming. Registration starts Aug. 17. Classes begin Sept. 14.
The classes range from private instruction to trips to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Private instruction will be offered voice, piano, organ and recorder for beginners through more advanced musicians. Lessons will be taught by Westminster Conservatory and Rider University faculty.
For high school students, there is an honors music program that will be held on Saturday mornings. It is targeted at advanced high school singers and instrumentalists. Students will learn music theory and history. ear training, collaborative musicianship and special topics.
The Westminster Community Orchestra also is making the move to the Rider University campus. The orchestra is made up of adult amateur musicians. The group performs a wide range of music – from classical music to holiday favorites. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings in the Gill Memorial Chapel.
The Westminster Conservatory Opera Outings program provides trips to the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center for Saturday matinee performances, and also includes on-campus lectures.
Moving the Conservatory to the Rider University campus is part of broader operational and programmatic restructuring efforts aimed at preserving its core offerings, officials said. It will also create a closer alignment with Rider’s new Westminster College of Media and Performing Arts.
The Westminster College of Media and Performing Arts incorporates the Westminster Conservatory of Music with the Westminster Choir College; the Department of Communication, Journalism and Media; the Department of Media Arts; and the Department of Performing Arts.
Relocations are not new.
The Westminster Choir College had its origins in Ohio, where it was known as the Westminster Choir School in 1926. It moved to Ithaca, N.Y., and became associated with Ithaca College in 1929. When it relocated to Princeton in 1932, it became known as the Westminster Choir College.
The Westminster Choir College itself was relocated from its campus on Walnut Lane in Princeton to Rider University’s Lawrence Township campus in 2020. The Municipality of Princeton acquired the 22-acre campus through eminent domain and is studying how to use the property.
