For Sale: Small Music College, Beloved by Some, Future Uncertain

Two decades ago, Rider College (NJ) was hailed as a savior in the music world when it acquired neighboring Westminster Choir College, a beloved but struggling institution in downtown Princeton. It was vital, Rider officials said, to sustain a storied history replete with students who had sung on the original “Fantasia” soundtrack, and worked with Bernstein and Toscanini. Rider’s latest plan for Westminster has struck a far more discordant note.