*On sabbatical Winter 2024*
Contact:
(519) 885-0220 ext. 24220
mvuorinen@uwaterloo.ca
Office: CGUC 1103A
Director, University of Waterloo Chamber Choir
Conductor, Grand Philharmonic Choir & The Elora Singers
President, Choirs Ontario
Education:
BMus, Wilfrid Laurier University, 1998
MM, Yale University, 2007
DMA, University of Toronto, 2014
Research Areas:
Choral Music, pedagogy, Music of Arvo Pärt, Choral music of Baltic nations
Courses Taught:
Undergraduate
Music 110 - Music in Cultural Contexts
Music 116, 117, 216, 217, 316, 317 - University of Waterloo Chamber Choir
Music 222 - Conducting I
Music 260 - The Symphony
Music 262 - Music for Vocal Ensemble
Music 290 - Special Topic: Choral Music
Music 322 - Conducting II
Music 355 - Music and Culture (Berlin and the Baltics)
Music 390/PACS 301 - Special Topics: Music and War, Music and Peace
About:
Mark Vuorinen is an Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Department at Conrad Grebel University College, where he teaches courses in conducting and conducts the University of Waterloo Chamber Choir. He is also Artistic Director of Kitchener-Waterloo’s Grand Philharmonic Choir (a symphonic chorus whose repertoire includes the great masterpieces for chorus and orchestra) and the professional chamber choir, The Elora Singers. Mark studied music at Wilfrid Laurier University, Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music and the University of Toronto. He has given first performances and Canadian premieres of works by many composers, including John Burge, Timothy Corlis, Barbara Croall, Jonathon Dove, and Reena Esmail. Other recent concert highlights include performances of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, Arvo Pärt’s Credo and Richard Einhorn’s moving soundtrack, Voices of Light as an accompaniment to the silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc. Mark is the 2016 Laureate of the Ontario Arts Council's Leslie Bell Prize in Choral Conducting.
Selected Publications:
- “At the intersection of Ratio and Intuitio: Arvo Pärt’s Como cierva sedienta,” Journal of Principles of Music Composing, Vilnius: Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Fall 2018.
- Arvo Pärt’s Music for Choir, Research Memorandum Series, Chorus America, Fall 2015.
- “Symbolic Chiasm in Arvo Pärt’s Passio (1982)”, Circuit: Musiques Contemporaines, Vol. 21, No. 1, (2011), Montreal: Les Presses de Université de Montréal
Creative Activity and Research:
Publications (*peer reviewed)
- “At the intersection of Ratio and Intuitio: Arvo Pärt’s Como cierva sedienta,” Journal of Principles of Music Composing, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Vilnius, Lithuania, Fall 2018.*
- “Arvo Pärt’s Music for Choir”, Research Memorandum Series, Chorus America, Fall 2015.
- Arvo Pärt’s Serial and Tintinnabuli Music: A Continuum of Process. DMA dissertation, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, 2014.
- “Symbolic Chiasm in Arvo Pärt’s Passio (1982)”, Circuit: Musiques Contemporaines, Vol. 21, No. 1, (2011), Montreal: Les Presses de Université de Montréal.*
Professional Public Performances (conductor)
2023
- Music of the North (music of Sheryll Sewepagaham, Andrew Balfour, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Veljo Tormis, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Peteris Vasks, Alfred Schnittke, Stephanie Martin, and premiere performance of commissioned work, Tapestry, by Laura Hawley), The Elora Singers, Gambrel Barn, Elora Festival, July 16.
- Johnston: Considering Matthew Shepard, The Elora Singers and Ensemble, Metropolitan United Church, Toronto, June 21.
- Johnston: Considering Matthew Shepard, The Elora Singers and Ensemble, Trivitt Memorial Church, Huron Waves Music Festival, Exeter, June 14.
- Martin: Water: an environmental oratorio, Grand Philharmonic Choir, chamber ensemble, Trivitt Memorial Church, Huron Waves Music Festival, Exeter, June 4.
- Bruckner: Te Deum & Martin: Water: an environmental oratorio, Grand Philharmonic Choir, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Centre in the Square, Kitchener, May 28.
- Bach: Mass in B minor, Grand Philharmonic Choir, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Centre in the Square, Kitchener, April 7.
- Pärt: Passio, The Elora Singers, St George’s Anglican Church, Guelph, April 2.
- Baroque Meditations, music by Handel, Steffani and Vivaldi, The Elora Singers, St. Matthew’s Church, Kitchener, March 5.
2022
- Festival of Carols, The Elora Singers, St. John’s Church, Elora and Melville United Church, Fergus, December 12 & 13.
- Handel: Messiah, The Elora Singers and Festival Orchestra, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Fergus, December 4
- Duruflé: Requiem, Grand Philharmonic Choir Chamber Singers, St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Kitchener, November 12
- Mendelssohn: Elijah, Grand Philharmonic Choir, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Centre in the Square, Kitchener, October 22
- Johnston: Considering Matthew Shepard, The Elora Singers and Ensemble, Harcourt United Church, Guelph, October 15 (two performances)
- Johnston: Considering Matthew Shepard, The Elora Singers and Ensemble, Port Nelson United Church, Burlington, September 23.
- On Love, The Elora Singers, Sing-in!, The Elora Singers, Elora Festival, Gambrel Barn, July 24.
- The Elora Singers and TorQ Percussion Quartet in Concert, three commissioned premieres (Braden, McKiver, Socolofsky) and Corpus, Paul Frehner, Elora Festival, Gambrel Barn, July 22.
- Togni: voice of the weaver, premiere, The Elora Singers, Jeff Reilly (bass clarinet), Elora Festival, Gambrel Barn, July 17.
- Bach: Mass in B minor, The Elora Singers and Festival Orchestra, Gambrel Barn, Elora Festival, July 8.
- Voices of Light, music of Roman Hurko, Dmitri Bortniansky, Caroline Shaw, David Lang, Paul Halley, Rob Teehan, The Elora Singers, Melville United Church, Fergus, ON, April 3, 2022.
2021
- A Festival of Carols, The Elora Singers, online stream, December, 2021.
- Bach and Handel for Christmas, Bach Cantatas 61 & 62, Handel Messiah (excerpts), The Elora Singers and orchestra, St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Kitchener, November 14 (and online), 2021.
- On Love, music by Finzi, Willan, Duruflé, Clausen and Timothy Corlis (world premiere of On
- Love), The Elora Singers, online November 2021.
- Poetry and Song, music by Vaughan Williams, Łukaszewski, Hindemith, Zoilkowski and Stephanie Martin (world premiere of A Frost Sequence), The Elora Singers, online August 2021.
- Twilight, music of Sergei Rachmaninov (Vespers), Pawel Łukaszewski, Mark Sirett, Eric Whitacre and Ēriks Ešenvalds, The Elora Singers, online August 2021.
- Reflection, music of John Tavener, Thomas Tallis, Jake Runestad, Dale Trumbore, Caroline Shaw and Dan Forrest, The Elora Singers with Katie Schlaikjer, cello, online August 2021.
Recordings
2023
-
From the Ground to the Sky, The Elora Singers & TorQ Percussion Quartet (Credit: Conductor and Producer)
2022
-
Radiant Dawn: Music for Advent and Christmas, The Elora Singers (Credit: Conductor and Producer), JUNO-nominated for Classical Album of the Year, Large Ensemble, 2023.
2020
- Esmail: This love between Us & Croall: Giishkaapkag, The Elora Singers and Festival Ensemble (Credit: Conductor and Producer).
Fellowships and Awards:
2023
-
JUNOS nomination, Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble), for Radiant Dawn: Music for Advent and Christmas
2016
- Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting, Ontario Arts Council, Laureate
- Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting, Ontario Arts Council, Peer-nomination
- National Choral Award (Outstanding Dissertation), Choral Canada
Web Page: www.grandphilchoir.com & www.elorasingers.ca