News

Liberal Studies, with Church Music and Worship minor

“I love, love, love music! It feeds my soul and nourishes my spirituality in a way that doesn’t always need words,” expressed Susan Allen, a Conrad Grebel University College alumna who earned a Liberal Studies degree with a minor in Church Music and Worship from the University of Waterloo. With the goal of turning her 3-year degree into a 4-year honours degree, Susan returned to Grebel.

Statistics, with Music minor

Conrad Grebel University College has felt like home to Joel Woods since he was 12 years old. Following in his sister’s footsteps, Joel attended Ontario Mennonite Music Camp (OMMC), a two-week camp at Grebel that mixes music and faith with a traditional camp experience. In just two weeks, Joel felt like he belonged at Grebel. For the next five years, Joel returned to Grebel each August for OMMC, shaping exciting summer memories, his creativity, a love for music, and eventually his post-secondary path.

Congratulations to Veronica Champagne (Honours Music) on being this year’s recipient of the Departmental Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Music for the graduating class of 2024.

On behalf of the Department of Music, congratulations, Veronica, on your academic achievement and very best wishes from all of us!

We'll also miss you in chamber choir ensembles!

Gradiva, or the “woman who walks,” has been a long-time figure within artistic circles. Believed to originate from Greece in 4th-century BCE, the image of the walking woman has inspired many notable 20th-century artists and scholars. Recently, the famous bas-relief inspired Karen Sunabacka, Associate Professor of Music at Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo. Grebel’s Chamber Choir will be presenting the world premiere of Gradiva, a choral collaborative project between Sunabacka and visual artist and writer Zsuzsanna Ardó.

“Hear with the ears, feel with the body,” said I Dewa Made Suparta, Artist-in-Residence of Balinese music and performing arts at Conrad Grebel University College. “You must use your eyes, your brain, and your heart. You must feel your surrounding players. If each player does not connect with the beat, the music cannot breathe together.” As Artistic Director of Grebel’s Balinese Percussion Ensemble course and Community Gamelan Warga Santi, Dewa is preparing for the 10th anniversary concert at the end of the term. The concert is a celebration of a unique branch of music that has flourished and grown within Grebel’s music community.  

Ever since he attended Ontario Mennonite Music Camp (OMMC) at age 12, Conrad Grebel University College student Joel Woods has entrenched himself within Grebel’s music community. Through joining numerous clubs, he has connected with others sharing that same passion for music while also finding an outlet to express himself in an artistic fashion. For these reasons, Grebel is excited to congratulate Joel as the recipient of the Abner Martin Award, a scholarship awarded annually to a full-time student in a graduate or undergraduate music program who is also affiliated with a congregation in Mennonite Church Eastern Canada.

Ontario Mennonite Music Camp (OMMC) at Conrad Grebel University College is a small camp with a big impact! With a focus on communal music-making, campers receive exceptional instruction in voice or a variety of instruments, learn new musical techniques, and explore church music and worship. Campers stretch their comfort zone and learn to be leaders in a congregational setting, starting with a daily chapel service. During this two-week overnight camp in Waterloo, Ontario, campers also prepare a church service with readings and music and then share it with a local congregation.  OMMC takes place this year August 11-23, 2024, and registration is open on the Grebel website. Subsidies are available for campers who demonstrate financial need.

On Wednesday, February 28, Chicago-based musician and Classics degree holder Joe Goodkin will be bringing the awe-inspiring tales of Ancient Greece to Conrad Grebel University College’s Noon Hour Concert Series. Performing as a modern-day Bard, Joe has previously toured the United States, performing his unique one-man folk opera retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. Now, Joe has moved his sights to Homer’s other epic: Iliad. Joe will perform a 17-song adaptation of the classic tale and transport his audience to the Ancient Greek battlefields filled with the horror, grief, and love of the Trojan War.  

Matt Metwalli, a fourth-year music student at the University of Waterloo and Conrad Grebel University College, is preparing for his upcoming grad recital. While practicing the saxophone piece "As I Am," Matt knew delivering a memorable performance would require meticulous practice and a profound understanding of the piece's composition. By chance, Matt's studio instructor, saxophonist Ernie Kalwa, recently learned that Steven Banks, the composer of "As I Am," would be performing the piece in Toronto. Pouncing on the opportunity, Ernie snapped up some tickets and scheduled a private saxophone lesson between Matt and Steven. "In just one hour," remarked Matt, "Banks opened my mind to a multitude of new things I never would've thought of prior. He is truly a master of the reed."