Choose Music at The University of Waterloo
At the University of Waterloo, you have the freedom to study music as a major or minor, to sample courses, or combine studies in music with almost any program. Waterloo’s diverse selection of courses, choirs, and instrumental ensembles will help you fulfill your musical dreams. Be part of a supportive academic community with flexible programs, inspiring classes, excellent teaching, and extraordinary musical experiences. You’ll receive a University of Waterloo degree and have access to all the resources of a world-class university.
Explore the many ways that music is meaningful in today's world
Conrad Grebel University College is home to the University of Waterloo's Department of Music and offers instruction in more than 20 instruments as well as vocal lessons.
The flexible Bachelor of Arts program will allow you to:
- Pursue a major or minor in music.
- Combine music courses and ensembles with most other areas of study.
- Study performance, music history, and theory while discovering the ways music relates to technology, film, gender, and global culture.
- Be a part of small class sizes to provide opportunity to get to know classmates and professors.
Events
University Choir concert - Spring 2025
This 60 voice choir, directed by Liska Jetchick, will sing a wide variety of classical and modern choral pieces.
Quo Vadis: Orchestra@UWaterloo
The Orchestra@UWaterloo concerts continue to delight audiences. Please join us for this spring classic.
Spring Forward, Fall Back: Jazz Ensemble Concert
There is no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Please join us for our Spring term jazz ensemble concert.
News
Sound Walking with the University of Waterloo’s University Colleges; Spring 2025
This spring, Grebel turned into a space for listening, wandering, and discovering the sounds of the medieval past through a chant-inspired soundwalk. Conrad Grebel University College, in partnership with St. Jerome’s University at the University of Waterloo, participated in the Digital Analysis of Chant Transmission Project (DACT) Soundwalk: “Singing Musical Fragments: Waterloo.” The soundwalk invited visitors to explore and listen to medieval chants originating from many different time periods and locations. The DACT Project is a Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Project led by Jennifer Bain, PI, and many co-investigators across Canada and around the world. DACT collaborators Kate Helsen, Debra Lacoste, and Kate Kennedy Steiner, created the DACT Soundwalk as an activity for the annual conferences of the Canadian University Music Society (MUSCAN) and the Canadian Society of Medievalists held at UWaterloo in May 2025.
Music Departmental Award
Congratulations to Chloe Shantz (Honours Music & English Literature - Intensive English Specialization, Creative Writing Specialization) on being this year’s recipient of the Departmental Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Music for the graduating class of 2025.
On behalf of the Department of Music, congratulations, Chloe, on your academic achievement and very best wishes from all of us!
We'll also miss you in chamber choir ensembles!
Grebel Convocation
Congratulations to the dozen music students who are finishing their UWaterloo degrees.