Research, analyze, and write about music in new and exciting ways. Guided by the largest complement of university musicologists in Canada, U of T Musicology students study music and its culture in major contemporary, historical, and world contexts. They develop the knowledge and critical thinking skills for generating incisive music critiques, and gain significant insights uniquely inflected by music theory and ethnomusicology.
Discover Together
Studying Musicology at the University of Toronto is a scholarly collaboration. Students join a group of mutually engaging and supportive peers and faculty actively invested in the study of culture. They have access to a wide variety of course offerings and research opportunities delivered by instructors of exceptional breadth of expertise.
Regularly held colloquia involving visiting national and international scholars provide students with additional opportunities to learn from and connect with experts in their field. Every year, a visitor of distinction is invited to give the Kenneth Peacock Endowed Lecture, an event students are warmly encouraged to attend.
Support for students encompasses professional development. U of T Musicology graduate students lead roundtables for honing conference presentation skills, inviting work-in-progress feedback, advising on publication practicalities, and providing group-based writing support. The Faculty of Music offers Musicology graduate student teaching and research assistant opportunities. Advanced graduate students sometimes design and teach their own courses.
The study of musicology in Canada began at the University of Toronto, and musicology today remains an important locus of scholarly research at the university. Mentored by professors with expertise in multiple areas, Musicology graduate students choose from among an extraordinary array of subjects. These range widely from medieval studies to twentieth-century modernism, sound and technology studies to traditional and aural communities, and music in film to music and medicine.
The long nineteenth century, 1789-1914, is an important area of specialization at U of T Musicology. In conjunction with scholars in performance studies and music theory, our musicologists offer graduate students teaching, mentoring and advice through U of T’s Centre for the Study of Nineteenth-Century Music.
In conducting their research, graduate students have access to the third-largest music library in North America and to the specialized collections of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.
Robarts Library, photo Jean Paul Xiao
Jackman Humanities Institute
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, photo Jag Gundu
Experience a City of Music
Culturally Central
The study of musicology at the University of Toronto occurs in the central core of a great music city. Home to over 5,000 professional musicians, Toronto has the greatest concentration of musicians in Canada and ranks as Canada’s largest music market. Living in Toronto provides students access to countless musical performances in diverse genres and styles.
Musically Diverse
The music scene in Toronto includes music-making sponsored by major cultural institutions such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Canadian Opera Company, many distinguished theatre and dance companies, and art and popular music groups of extraordinary cultural range and register.
Variously Attractive
Beyond music, Toronto’s cultural and other attractions are varied and diverse. From its museums and art galleries to its ravines, parks, and islands, it offers myriad sites of interest.
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Ethnomusicology, Music Education, Music Theory, Musicology
My graduate studies at U of T were enriched by the university’s prodigious research support infrastructure and an active, supportive community of students and faculty. I was also guided toward relevant opportunities for learning and networking outside the Faculty of Music which fostered my thinking and development.
– Sadie Menicanin, PhD Musicology 2023
Featured Media
Being in the Weather
Canadian Opera Company - Hearing Riel
Have a question?
Contact our Musicology, Ethnomusicology, and Music Theory Coordinator for more information about our Musicology area and programs.
