News

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 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.

Amanda Kind graduated with an Bachelors of Arts in Honours Music in 2006. She recalls her time at Grebel fondly. Amanda felt a pull towards the school and the region - she admired the diversity of both. Originally, from British Colombia, Amanda transfer to the University of Waterloo, she came for the arts management courses, but stayed in the region for a much different reason. Amanda fell in love with the arts community of Kitchener-Waterloo and the region has fallen in love with her as well.

The University of Waterloo Department of Music at Conrad Grebel University College invites all students, faculty, staff, and community members to join most of the eight ensembles that it sponsors and organizes.

Instrumental: Instrumental Chamber Ensemble; Jazz Ensemble; Orchestra; World Music Ensemble (Balinese Gamelan)

Choral:  Chapel Choir; Chamber Choir; University Choir; Vocal Techniques. 

See webpage for details. 

Professor of Music at Conrad Grebel & University of Waterloo and Artistic Director of the Grand Philharmonic Choir, Mark Vuorinen has been appointed the new Artistic Director for the Elora Festival and the Elora Festival Singers, Inc.

Congratulations Mark! 

The first in a distinguished legacy of long-serving musical visionaries, Helen Martens was hired as a music professor at Grebel in 1965. Illustrating the College’s interdisciplinary focus from the beginning, the initial classes Helen taught were Music and the Fine Arts, as well as Music and Literature.

Pursuing Music’s Healing Effects

The Music program at Grebel and the University of Waterloo consistently appeals to students who are looking for a balanced and broad music education. When searching for a program that fit him best, student Tyler Reidy immediately felt comfortable when he arrived at Grebel for his pre-enrolment studio audition. “The faculty was incredibly welcoming, the students were encouraging and excited to get to know me during my audition process, and Grebel was small enough that I was immediately drawn to the community.” Tyler maintained a strong link to the department through all four years of his university career, and he is now set to graduate this spring with a Major in Music and an Intensive Music Specialization.

When Grebel was founded in 1963, no one could have anticipated the growth of the Music program and the central role Music would play in giving voice to the College’s mission in the ensuing 55 years.  

The Music Department wishes to express profound gratitude to two ensemble directors for their extraordinary work with Grebel choirs: Catherine Robertson (pictured at piano), who has directed the Chapel Choir since 2015, and Gerard Yun (pictured below), director of the University Choir since 2009. Gerard is beginning a full-time position in Community Music at Wilfrid Laurier University.

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.”