Find a welcoming home. Accordion studies at the University of Toronto are dedicated to exploring the full artistic possibilities of a remarkable instrument. Students join an intimate community of mutually supportive peers and teachers passionately engaged in a common musical interest.
DMA Instrumental Performance graduate Matti Pulkki, photo Alejandro Lorenzo.
Discover Your Potential
In programs at all levels, weekly accordion performance instruction is central to the study experience. Students gain personal attention from accordion musicians and scholars of international repute. An appreciation of music and accordion traditions, developments in instrument technology, and contemporary trends in accordion music-making inform all aspects of teaching and learning.
The U of T Accordion area is led by faculty who have been at the forefront of changing perceptions internationally of what the accordion can do. Established in 1972, The University of Toronto’s accordion program is the oldest in North American and remains one of the few.
Michael Bridge & Joseph Macerollo
Massey Hall, downtown Toronto
Embrace a City of Opportunity
One of the world's great multicultural cities, Toronto offers Accordion students a remarkable diversity of musical experiences. The city is home to an astonishing range of classical, jazz, contemporary and world musical styles and genres in which the accordion can figure. Students have opportunities for solo and ensemble performance in venues throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
Studying accordion at the University of Toronto with Professor Macerollo changed my life, and he opened doors for me to a multifaceted professional career in performance. Prof. Macerollo’s rigorous intellectual and artistic training transformed me from a ‘folk accordionist interested in classical music’ to a multifaceted artist experienced in baroque, contemporary, improvised, and avant-garde music of many types. In the rich U of T musical environment, I was welcomed by faculty, composers, students, and myriad ensembles who wanted to collaborate—performing over 50 premieres written by up-and-coming student composers during my degrees. My professional career as a performer was also launched during this time, and the musical toolkit from my studies continues to serve me on some of North America’s largest stages—from The Metropolitan Opera, to symphonies across this continent, to my touring groups, Bridge & Wolak and Ladom Ensemble.
– Michael Bridge
Bachelor of Music in Performance 2015 - Accordion Master of Music in Performance 2017 - Accordion Doctor of Musical Arts 2023 - Accordion Performance
Featured Media
Elaboration on Bach's Invention in F Major (Michael Bridge)
Dino Saluzzi: Gorrión (Branko Džinović, solo bandoneón)
D. Shostakovich: Prelude and Fugue E Minor (Matti Pulkki)
Have a question?
Contact our Associate Dean, Performance & Public Events for more information about our Accordion area and programs.
