What our Music grads do

Congratulations to Ellen Marguerite Siebel-Achenbach on receiving The Sandra Burt Prize in Gender and Social Justice for her project on “Sisters of Wisdom: Female Hymnists of the Middle Ages.” Ellen graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2023 with a double major in Visual Culture and Medieval Studies and minors in both Fine Arts Studio and Church Music and Worship (CMW). She recently finished her master's degree in Art History at the University of Toronto. 

Mary-Catherine Pazzano completed her first undergraduate degree in 2010; Joint Honours in Music and Drama from the University of Waterloo. "I grew up watching and loving the old MGM musicals," Mary-Catherine explains how she quickly fell in love with the music featured in them. Many of the songs from these beloved musicals are also American standards, and from there, a fine appreciation in jazz formed naturally.

Corey Linforth, class of 2013, took the task of choosing a post-secondary school seriously. She researched the program at Grebel and found it was the perfect fit for her. She was able to study without specializing specifically in Opera. When she first enrolled, Corey enrolled as an Arts and Business student, although she would later drop the business side to pursue her passion for music. The atmosphere she remembers is a unique and healthy one, and the community does not result in a feeling of competition between students.

Music has been an important part of Stephanie Collings’ life for as long as she can remember. As a child, she was quite shy, and preferred activities where she was not a part of a group or team. Piano lessons were the perfect solution. They were a place where Stephanie could be herself and pour her thoughts and feelings into the music she played. “For me, music means connecting with myself on a deeper level,” Stephanie explained. 

Music is a vital part of my ministry work at Fairview Seniors Community, where I have been the Spiritual Care Coordinator for four years. Throughout my work at Fairview, and especially during the pandemic, music has been a source of connection, reflection, meaningmaking, comfort, and wellness (emotionally, mentally, spiritually and relationally) for the residents.

For Marina the best part of studying at the University of Waterloo was the ability to be interdisciplinary. During her time here, she pursued both Music and Classical studies. “They overlapped quite a lot actually,” Marina recalls. While it was a rewarding experience, it was also a difficult one, as a Joint Honours meant Marina had to dedicate more of her time hitting the books. Studying both at the same time really enriched her experience as an undergraduate just as much as the community at Grebel did as well.

When deciding where she would like to go to school, Meaghan McCracken felt drawn to the music program here at the University of Waterloo. Her experiences were more interdisciplinary. She feels had she gone somewhere else she never would have had the opportunity to take some of the classes she loved! She says, “It let me explore other things I was interested in, like English Literature and Anthropology.”

Corey Linforth, class of 2013, took the task of choosing a post-secondary school seriously. She researched the program at Grebel and found it was the perfect fit for her. She was able to study without specializing specifically in Opera. When she first enrolled, Corey enrolled as an Arts and Business student, although she would later drop the business side to pursue her passion for music. The atmosphere she remembers is a unique and healthy one, and the community does not result in a feeling of competition between students.

Vasana grew up in Nova Scotia, but decided to take a daring step and applied to school in Ontario. That’s how she ended up at the University of Waterloo studying Music! Vasana recalls upon her time at Grebel:

“I have such fond memories of Grebel. The supportive and kind atmosphere at Grebel had a tremendous impact on me during those formative years of university, and shaped me into a better person, and for that I'm very grateful.”

For Kathryn Ladano becoming a Musician and Music teacher was never a question, she had started lessons at eleven and a natural affinity for the subject. Encouraged by her teachers, she knew this was the path of her destiny, and she began to plan how to get there. When it came time for Kathryn to start her post-secondary studies, she had originally looked at Wilfred Laurier but the school did not offer classes to students wanting to major in the Bass Clarinet, which is Kathryn’s main interest.