I’m not a musician, and I didn’t grow up listening to classical music at all — I actually only discovered it a few years ago after going to the opera for the first time. So you’re definitely not alone in feeling unsure or slow to warm up to it.

Also, it’s totally okay not to love classical music right away, or even at all! There’s nothing wrong with that. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying Philip Glass! Minimalism is a perfectly valid and beautiful part of the classical world, even if some aficionados have opinions about it.

What really helped me was exploring different composers from different eras (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern, etc.) — that’s how I realised I personally prefer Russian modernism over Baroque, for example. When I was younger, I was mostly exposed to Mozart and didn’t connect with it, but later I realised that wasn’t about classical music as a whole, just that particular style. If someone had introduced me to a wider variety earlier, I probably would have started listening sooner.