  We begin with an effective string theory for long distance QCD, and evaluate
the semiclassical expansion of this theory about a classical rotating string
solution, taking into account the the dynamics of the boundary of the string.
We show that, after renormalization, the zero point energy of the string
fluctuations remains finite when the masses of the quarks on the ends of the
string approach zero. The theory is then conformally invariant in any spacetime
dimension D. For D=26 the energy spectrum of the rotating string formally
coincides with that of the open string in classical Bosonic string theory.
However, its physical origin is different. It is a semiclassical spectrum of an
effective string theory valid only for large values of the angular momentum.
For D=4, the first semiclassical correction adds the constant 1/12 to the
classical Regge formula.
