Westminster Choir

Westminster Choir

Westminster Choir College (WCC) is a historic conservatory of music currently operating on the campus of Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Rider's College of Arts and Sciences, the college under which the historic institution has been reorganized, consists of Westminster Choir College as well as three additional schools. The Choir College was previously an independent school, located first in Dayton, Ohio (1926–1929), then Ithaca, New York (1929–1932), and for most of its history in Princeton, New Jersey (1932–2020). It merged with Rider University in 1992, continuing to occupy the historic campus in Downtown Princeton. Rider University controversially attempted to monetize and sell the school in 2019, an issue under ongoing litigation by numerous plaintiffs. After a failed sale to Kaiwen Education Technology (formerly Jiansu Zhongtai Steel Structure Company), a for-profit enterprise owned solely by the Chinese government, Rider abandoned the Princeton campus and moved Westminster's programs to the University's main campus in Lawrenceville. WCC educates students at the undergraduate and graduate levels for careers in music education, voice performance, pedagogy, music theory, composition, conducting, and sacred music. Professional training in musical skills with an emphasis on performance is complemented by studies in the liberal arts. The school's proximity to New York City and Philadelphia provides students with easy access to the musical resources of both cities.

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