I imagine the requirement is there, not for any social reason but as part of your education; seeing what others are doing and thinking about it, it's not like those in music get that opportunity very often, being so focused on one's own studies? It's always a good idea to know what is happening around us, what others are working on and how what we are working on might fit?

Since you do not care about what the others think about you, I would not worry about their coming or not; that too is their problem; if they don't want to attend they could just as easily, probably more easily, petition not to go as you could to change the school's rules and not make attendance mandatory. Look at it from the school's point of view; a single person wanting to make a change that big could look pretty arrogant? You aren't in charge of their rules.