Mark Vuorinen Takes the Baton at Waterloo

WATERLOO, ON -- Susan Schultz Huxman, President of Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Vuorinen as faculty member in Choral Music.

Mark is well-known in the Kitchener-Waterloo music community and beyond. He is currently the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Choir, Music Director of the Toronto Chamber Choir and the Toronto Choral Artists, and George Black Fellow in Sacred Music at the Church of the Redeemer in Toronto.  He will continue his role with the Grand Philharmonic Choir when he assumes his faculty role at Grebel.

"Besides superb experience and expertise,” President Huxman noted, “Mark brings energy, poise, collegiality, and eagerness to engage our many music students at Waterloo, the K-W community, and the wider Mennonite church. "

Community building and choral excellence are hallmarks of Conrad Grebel.  Jim Pankratz, Grebel’s Dean added, "Mark will inherit a distinguished tradition of choral excellence in the Music program at Conrad Grebel and the University of Waterloo. We are confident that he will build on and enrich that tradition just as he has with the Grand Philharmonic Choir in this community.”

Laura Gray, Chair of the Music Department said, “We are delighted by Mark’s appointment! He brings not only considerable talent and expertise, but also warmth, enthusiasm, and energy as a colleague and teacher.  We are excited about the possibilities of forging more tangible links with the community through Mark’s leadership of the Grand Philharmonic and the buzz his appointment will make among students at uWaterloo.”  Mark will direct the 40-voice Chamber Choir, oversee the College’s choral program, and teach conducting, choral literature, and other areas of music. 

"I am thrilled to be joining the faculty at Conrad Grebel and look forward to contributing to the very fine choral traditions that are such an important part of the college's life,” remarked Vuorinen. “One of the wonderful things about Grebel is the intersection of religious studies, peace studies, and music. I am particularly pleased by the prospect of working and teaching in this multi-disciplinary environment."

Mark Vuorinen will replace Leonard Enns, who is retiring in June after 36 years on faculty at Grebel. Enns built a strong choral program and distinguished himself as an award winning composer and conductor.

Conrad Grebel University College is home to the Music Department in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo. Music comprises over 40% of the undergraduate teaching at the college. The current $8.7 million academic building expansion will create over 5,000 square feet of new music teaching, office, and practice space.

Conrad Grebel University College is a liberal arts college founded by the Mennonite church and affiliated with the University of Waterloo. Its mission is to seek wisdom, nurture faith, and pursue justice and peace in service to church and society.

For more information contact:
Laura Gray
Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Department
Conrad Grebel University College
ljgray@uwaterloo.ca
519-885-0220 x24247