Chris Mullins noted in his introduction that he rather "came back" to
CM.  I had a somewhat similar experience in life (in my opinion this
makes the case for exposing children with little musical talent to the
of world of CM).  Like Chris, I followed the path of indulging in the
"sweeter" sounds.  Unlike him, Ligeti remains beyond my compass, but
wonderful as Tchaikovsky and Dvorak are, the world of music would seem
constrained without more discordant sounds ... Berg, Simpson, even Ligeti
(I think) have much to offer.

On this list you'll find the gamut from unsophisticated but appreciative
listeners like this scribe to musicians of considerable skill, artistry
and reknown (e.g. half of www.pianoduo.com occasionally posts here).
The insights of some posters can withstand comparison to writings of
professional critics (some of whom post here, BTW).

I would encourage Chris to consider exploring a realm he failed to mention
in his list of classical genres he values ... chamber music.  It may
lack the fireworks of opera or the symphonic repertoire, but more than
makes up for that with subtlties of expression [really, aren't those
people attending opera overdressed anyway?].  It helps a great deal to
hear this music live, and you are fortunate to live in an area where it
exists in abundance.  I was rather blase about the late Beethoven string
quartets until I heard the Emerson Quartet perform #13 in concert- it
gave me a new sense of how the dissonant sounds meshed.  I think I could
rest content in this world if I were shipwrecked on a desert island with
unlimited supplies of mangoes and string quartets.

Larry Sherwood (no expert in desert ecosystems)