The University of Western Ontario—in London, Ontario, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) southwest of Toronto—takes the commitment to making research part of academic rigor seriously, calling it “an integral part of the university’s mission.”
Home to nearly 29,000 students, the University of Western Ontario has a proud history dating back to 1883. Currently, about 160 undergraduate voice students and 18 graduate performance students are enrolled in the Don Wright Faculty of Music.
The Music Library at UWO is home to the world’s largest collection of Gustav Mahler’s work outside of Vienna. It includes letters, copyists’ manuscripts, photographs, and other memorabilia from the composer’s life. Mahler’s nephew, Alfred Rosé, was one of the founding professors of the School of Music and thus created an intimate connection between the Faculty of Music and the composer.
Each year, “UWOpera” stages one fully staged opera with orchestra, an opera gala, and one staged opera for children, such as Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors or Seymour Barab’s Little Red Riding Hood. Typically the children’s opera is double cast with graduate students, the gala offers solo opportunities for undergrad and graduate students alike, and the full production opera is open to all by audition.
“One of Western’s strong points,” mentions Sasha Gorbasew, recruitment coordinator for the Don Wright Faculty of Music, “is that graduates come away with a well-rounded and balanced musical education regardless of what program they study, whether it be performance, education, history, or theory and composition.”
Professor of Voice Patricia Green adds, “We offer classes in early music performance and contemporary vocal repertoire, as well as standard repertoire classes.” She also points out that students can find many performing opportunities outside the university, as well as a thriving arts community, including the Orchestra London Canada, several professional theaters, Museum London, a repertory cinema, and two cinema societies.
“In the summer,” she says, “the London Early Music Festival, founded by UWO grads, presents North American premieres of Baroque operas and a weekend of early music events.”
In addition to the pride the faculty has in its comprehensive music program, UWO offers one of the most innovative programs found in a music faculty. The one-of-a-kind Piano Technology program is a UWO exclusive. For prospective voice students this may not necessarily pique much interest, but they can be assured that—at the very least—the pianos in the practice rooms will always be in tune. More important, however, is how indicative this program is of an entire music faculty dedicated to excellence in every regard, with the ability and creativity to both follow tradition and push ahead with academic rigor.
As for paying for your education, Gorbasew says, “‘Western’ is a great value, for the quality of education you get versus the tuition cost and the cost of living in London, Ontario. Many American and other international students are unaware of this. If you look at some of the costs of many large American schools, compared to our regular International fees, you will see what a difference in cost there is. Even for American students looking to study out of state, our international fees are often lower than out-of-state fees in many American schools.”
At UWO, the fees for Canadian undergraduates are just over $5,000 and slightly more than $2,000 for graduate students. Western does not offer scholarships or other financial support during the first year of study for international students, though students may compete for scholarships and awards following the first year. U.S. citizens, however, may be eligible for Stafford or Plus loans sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
