By Anne Levin
Rider University announced on Monday that it is moving the piano, voice, recorder, honors music, and Opera Outings programs of Westminster Conservatory of Music from Princeton to Rider’s Lawrence Township campus. Also included is the Westminster Community Orchestra. But left behind are the 56-year-old community music school’s band and orchestral instrument departments, which have been discontinued.
“This is a huge loss for the community,” said Marianne Lauffer, who taught piano, served as the Conservatory’s assistant director for 20 years, and is an accompanist. “It’s a community music school. So many kids from the high school and middle school would ride their bikes over, or walk, for lessons. Can they capture that same kind of clientele in Lawrenceville? I don’t know.”
“I’m still reeling from the news,” said Amy Wolfe, who has been on the flute faculty since 1978. “I expected significant upset because of Rider’s difficulties, but not the eradication of all the band and orchestral instrument instruction.”
Labeled “operation changes” in a letter to faculty and staff, the news identified “changes to staffing levels and instructional activities,” saying individual notifications would go out this week. Families were notified in a separate communication, as were the Municipality of Princeton and the press.
Founded in 1970, the Conservatory is on the former campus of Westminster Choir College, which has been a part of Rider since 1992. Rider’s former president attempted to sell the 22-acre choir college in 2017, moving it to Lawrence Township in 2020 after that attempt failed.
The Municipality of Princeton acquired the campus in April 2025, and is currently exploring its future. Princeton Council approved a resolution at its meeting on Monday night to continue work with the consultant Topology NJ LLC for creation of a redevelopment plan for the campus.
“The Municipality expended a great deal of effort since acquiring the campus to make it possible for the Conservatory to remain on site,” reads a statement issued Tuesday from the Municipality. “Because of the Conservatory’s longstanding presence on the Westminster campus and its impact on generations of Princeton-area students, we had hoped to see that tradition continue. While we respect Rider University’s assessment of its financial circumstances and its decision
regarding the Conservatory’s operations, this was a decision made by Rider. The Municipality was informed of Rider’s plans on Monday at the same time as the general public.”
Jason Vodlicka, senior associate dean of Rider’s School of Communication, Media, and Performing Arts, Westminster Choir College, said the decision to move only some of the Conservatory to the Lawrence Township campus was purely financial. The University has faced a $21.8 million deficit and additional budgetary obstacles in recent years, which current president John Loyack has been grappling with since taking over last year.
“We looked at the amounts that we were investing in running the program on the campus,” said Vodlicka. “After a financial analysis of several years, we found we were spending more money [on the music programs] than we were taking in — a significant amount. Since we’ve been dealing with other financial issues, we decided to move as much of the Conservatory as we could. But we’re limited down here in how much space we have. We decided to go with the ones that have the most direct ties into the choir college — obviously piano and voice, but also recorder, which is taught to all music education students.”
The Opera Outings program takes customers by bus to see productions of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The cost covers the ticket and guest lecturers, and inspires some participants to contribute to the University. “Since we have an opera program here, it makes sense,” said Vodlicka.
Those told they were effectively being let go were offered the opportunity to meet with Rider administration on Tuesday, or attend a Zoom meeting. While he declined on Monday to name possible venues, Vodlicka said he has been in touch with other organizations in the area that are interested in offering private lessons.
“My best guess is that there will be other organizations that will step up,” he said. “I hope that happens so lessons can continue for the people in Princeton.”
Ken Ellison, who has taught clarinet and saxophone at the Conservatory for 29 years, said two of his favorite things about music are sharing and collaboration.
“For the sharing, so many kids walked over to the Conservatory from the middle or high school for their piano lesson, and they heard the sounds of an oboe or trombone or violin and thought, ‘Hey! I would like to try that.’ I have great memories of the early childhood teacher teaching her class next door, and her students asking ‘What is that?’ referring to my lesson with a young saxophone or clarinet player,” he said. “Sometimes I would hear a knock on my door, and in came the entire class for an impromptu introduction to the clarinet or saxophone. That is hard to replace. As for collaboration, I will hugely miss making music with my colleagues, sharing stories and techniques, seeing/hearing them, and laughing. Lots of laughter.”
“All I can say is that this was a tough decision for the University,” said Vodlicka. “But considering what Rider is facing as a whole, this is what we could do to continue. I personally appreciate what our faculty have done, especially during the last six years. It is certainly not a reflection on quality of the teaching. It is purely operational.”
Faculty members at the Conservatory are aware of Rider’s financial problems. “This is not a problem that has happened overnight,” said Wolfe. I personally think that both Jason and the new president have good intentions, and they’ve been trying to be supportive and find a way out of this nightmare that they inherited. They can only do so much. But we didn’t expect this.”