Jennifer Stephen

Biography

Jennifer Stephen is the Principal Tuba of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. She grew up in Yellowknife, NT, where she began playing the tuba in grade 11 at Sir John Franklin Territorial High School. With an immediate passion for the instrument, she pursued her studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland, before attending Bowling Green State University, where she studied with renowned tubist and trailblazer Velvet Brown. Upon returning to Canada, Jennifer furthered her education at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

In addition to her work with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Jennifer is an active freelance tubist in Ontario and across the country, performing with ensembles such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, National Ballet Orchestra of Canada, the Calgary Philharmonic, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. She is a member of the Hannaford Street Silver Band, the Esprit Orchestra, the Canadian Women’s Brass Collective, and a founding member of the Toronto Brass Quintet. She is an accomplished brass arranger with many of her works performed by brass ensembles in and around the GTA. Jennifer is a highly sought after chamber and session musician in Ontario, prolific in a wide variety of styles and genres. She has recorded for film and television, and appeared on Cris Derksen’s Juno-nominated Orchestral PowWow project. She has also recorded for such artists as Danny Michel, Owen Pallet, and others. With a passion for teaching, Jennifer has a busy private studio, is an in-demand clinician and has coached at the University of Toronto, University of Calgary, Memorial University, and the Glenn Gould School. She has been on faculty at the National Music Camp of Canada since 2009, and joined the faculty of the University of Toronto in 2024.