Westminster Choir College will remain in Princeton. It just won’t be a part of Rider University, as it has for the past 25 years, it was announced Tuesday afternoon.

Rider’s Board of Trustees has voted to find another institution to purchase the famed music school and keep it at its Walnut Lane campus. Rider, based in Lawrenceville, has hired PriceWaterhouseCoopers to help in the search, which Rider president Gregory Dell’Omo is confident will yield results, he said at a press conference.

“Everybody’s interest, first and foremost, is to preserve the legacy of Westminster Choir College,” he said.

Under the plan, an institution could purchase the campus and the school together, or buy the choir college and relocate it to an existing campus. The process is expected to take place over the course of the next 12 months.

Last October, Rider began exploring the idea of selling the campus in Princeton and moving Westminster to Lawrenceville as part of a plan to help address a projected $13 million deficit. The plan was met with strong opposition from Westminster students, alumni, faculty, and key figures in the classical music world.

Joseph Polisi, president of The Juilliard School, wrote to  Mr. Dell’Omo last week: “I know you are aware of the exceptionally important and distinguished role that the Choir College has played in the history of America’s classical music environment. Although I understand that your university has been grappling with economic challenges, I ask you to consider the irreparable damage that would take place throughout our musical system if Westminster were to stop functioning.”

Opponents to the proposed merger of Westminster into the Rider campus said that the two schools have very different communities that would not blend well. Their concerns were considered by the Board.

“Recognizing the special nature of Westminster’s programs, the University has determined to pursue, with the
assistance of an outside firm, several options aimed at preserving Westminster’s strong legacy,” reads a statement released after the meeting. “In this process, the University will seek an institution to purchase the campus and operate the Westminster programs in Princeton or to relocate the Westminster programs to a new location.”

Rider came to Westminster’s rescue in 1992 when the choir college, which has been in Princeton since 1932, was in financial trouble. “Rider University invested in the growth of Westminster and made it a better place of learning,” Mr. Dell’Omo said in the press release. “Today, it’s time to take Westminster to a new, stronger level by finding an institution ready to build on its history of excellence.”

As an 11-member task force explored the issue, a group called The Coalition to Save Westminster Choir College grew in strength, recently filing for incorporation status as a non-profit. Members of the Westminster Choir College Leadership Council met a few weeks ago with Mr. Dell’Omo, sharing their ideas about how to save the institution. The group suggested the school go public and find an “affiliation partner” that would save them money.

Mr. Dell’Omo acknowledged Tuesday that he had met with the group and taken their ideas to heart. There have been inquiries from interested institutions, he said, but declined to name them or quote a purchase price. “We have a range in mind but don’t want to share it,” he said.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of Westminster supporters stood outside North Hall, the Rider campus building where the Board was holding its meeting. Placards reading such sentiments as “Stop the Sale” and “Make Westminster Choir College a Part of the Solution” were raised high. The crowd was mostly quiet, but broke into a haunting chorus, as some members of the Board walked into the building.

When the decision was announced later in the day, some Coalition members were on hand to comment.

“We are very happy to hear this great news,” said Mona Davids, a leader of the group. “This is what the Coalition has been seeking all along — that Rider is allowing us to seek out a partner that will preserve the legacy of Westminster Choir College. Today is a victory not just for the Coalition, but for schools all over the world. It is a victory for the classical music industry. We are very pleased that the Board has seen the light and look forward to working with them to find an affiliate partner.”