Yeah, I started loving classical music ever since I heard Peter & the Wolf when I was like, a toddler. I really appreciated all of the hard work that goes into it when I started playing saxophone in 4th grade. My appreciation for it has grown exponentially since then.

And that's the difference for me between loving and appreciating classical music.

"Eine Kleine Nachmusik." It's gorgeous. Most of the really famous stuff is also the most accessible...Pachelbel's "Canon In D" is my pick for greatest piece of music in human history (and shockingly influential in pop music).

"Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring" is another one I think is extremely accessible. It flows like water.

As for the topic of the thread, I don't think music should ever need "theory" to appreciate. It might take repeated listens, to start appreciating things you don't normally listen to, but good music should appeal without any sort of education. Most melodic structures are universal, in that they keep repeating throughout history. Rock/pop aren't entirely separate and different from classical, they just (usually) frame the standard melodic appeal in new ways. If you adjust to classical, I think you'll find you enjoy great composers in classical as much as those in rock and pop.

I loved classical music in a cursory sense until I started studying it at UNT. Then I hated it because I was forced to listen to it constantly. So "learning to appreciate" classical music can definitely be a double-edged sword.

I would suggest going by what instruments you are most interested in. I myself am a classical guitar nut, so I love the work of Fernando Sor, Carcassi, Brouwer, and others.

An easy place to start with classical is to look into contemporary movie scores, most especially those by John Williams.

An A/s Level In music tech. It was probably around the time I was attending to reach that A/s level that I decided I could actually sit and listen to classical music.

i would say you only need to really know music theory to appreciate serialism...

I used to think that Classical Music was boring because I was ignorant admittedly. It wasn't until I was in high school and my orchestra teacher (Learned violin for close to 7 years in school) started to get me interested in the popular composers like Beethoven, Hayden, Mozart, and Puccini. When I went to college I originally wanted to go into Music Education, so I took 4 semesters of Music Theory doing OK in it. I was fortunate to have taken those classes (they were some of the hardest classes I ever took in college). Reason being not only am I able to appreciate the music more, but I actually understand the differences between parts, tones, keys, etc.

0 hours of studying theory, classical was what my parents were listening to when I grew up

I have only a very basic education in music theory, but am still able to fully appreciate classical, so it's not necessary.

I first seriously got into classical music through a Music Appreciation class I took through the local community college. The teacher was very knowledgeable, and from there I set off on my own.

Where should one study music?

I like classical because it sounds good. I really like Edvard Grieg, Torrega, Holst, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and my favorite: Saint-Saens.