About Orchestra at UWaterloo

Orchestra@uwaterloo is a university-wide orchestra open to students, staff, faculty, and alumni of the University of Waterloo. The orchestra's Music Director is Daniel Warren. Our mission is to provide a quality musical experience for our players and audiences.

Orchestra@uwaterloo is re-formed each term based on auditions. Undergraduate students form the majority of the orchestra's 60–70 musicians, though we also have faculty, staff, graduate students, and alumni. We represent an academic cross-section of the University of Waterloo, with the math and engineering faculties particularly well-represented. Each term we play a free concert to audiences of 300 plus people, including significant numbers of students. Every two years we hold a Concerto and Aria Competition open to UWaterloo students.

Orchestra@uwaterloo was formed in 2004 by professors Anna Lubiw and Romy Shioda alongside conductor Erna Van Daele.  For many years it has enabled students passionate about music to play in a full-sized symphony orchestra.  In May 2017, the Conrad Grebel University College Music Department assumed leadership of the orchestra.  This enabled students to get credit for participating in the orchestra, as well as getting additional departmental support.