Princeton renews licenses of several arts groups hosted in Westminster Choir College

In a meeting on Aug. 25, the Princeton Council approved several resolutions to extend the licenses of several arts groups in the recently acquired Westminster Choir College campus. Licenses for the Westminster Conservatory of Music and the Princeton Ballet Society were extended to Dec. 31 and licenses for the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra and Princeton Pro Musica were extended until Aug. 31, 2026.

After Rider University, the previous owner of the Westminster property, moved the Choir College programs to Rider’s Lawrenceville campus in 2020, the 23-acre property has mainly functioned to host these arts programs.

Westminster has historically experienced financial shortfalls and was acquired by the Municipality of Princeton in April for $42 million. The move faced opposition from Westminster faculty, alumni, and preservationists. Critics expressed concern that the site’s musical legacy would be lost and questioned the town’s ability to responsibly manage the facility’s cultural infrastructure.

There has been little mention of the Westminster College in council meetings following the formal acquisition of the Westminster Choir College campus in April. Though Council President Mia Sacks said in a press release that the property would be adapted for public facility needs after the acquisition, there has been little progress on this front, which Sacks identified as “urgent.”

“We look forward to engaging the community over the next 18 months in a multi-faceted planning exercise with robust public engagement and maximum stakeholder input,” Sacks said in April.

The recent license agreements continue arts at Westminster, as well as Rider’s involvement. The Westminster Conservatory will remain under Rider’s control and located at Westminster until at least the end of the year. The license has been in effect since Sept. 1 and terminates on Dec. 31.

Rider will also retain the non-exclusive, revocable right to use the Bristol Chapel, the Cullen Center, the Playhouse, the Cottage, and Princeton Hall to operate the Conservatory, according to the agreement. While Rider will not be required to pay a monthly fee for use of the mentioned spaces, they are required to provide their own security, custodial, and management services.

Other arts groups who will continue using the Westminster campus agreed to pay fees. The Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra will pay $1,900 per month with an additional fee of $300 per use, Princeton Pro Musica will pay $330 per use, and The Princeton Ballet Society will pay $1,500 per month. These fees will allow the three arts groups to continue to access the buildings and areas for rehearsal, performance, and administrative purposes.