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Christina Petrowska

"A century ago, women in most western countries couldn't vote, and ladies weren't supposed to write music. A few did anyway, and often had to wait decades for a fair hearing. Christina Petrowska Quilico, the virtuoso pianist whose Northern Sirens Cd two years ago featured works by Canadians such as Ann Southam and Alexina Louie, casts her net further afield for this show, which also includes music by Cecile Chaminade."
-Robert Everett-Green
Toronto Globe and Mail

PIERRE BOULEZ HONOURED FOR CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITION
"…Toronto pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico opened the program with the Piano Sonata No. , (1946)…Highly cerebral and calling for a huge variety of articulations from the pianist (which Petrowska Quilico certainly supplied), the sonata also exploded with colour and energy."

- William Littler, Toronto Star

"An extraordinary talent."
--The New York Times

"An astonishing pianist."
--The Toronto Star

"Dynamic...Dramatic...Profiled expressiveness."
_Los Angeles Times

"Christina Petrowska is an established soloist on the Canadian scene with a special interest in contemporary keyboard music...But as more recent albums suggest, her interest stretches back into the traditional keyboard repertory as well. A new Debussy album finds her fingers making their way nimbly through 17 of the French composer's best-known short pieces, while this contemporaneous disc finds them performing a similar service for 15 pieces by Chopin and Liszt."
--William Littler,
The Toronto Star

"What more can be said about this internationally acclaimed Canadian artist who thrilled Winnipeg audiences at the du Maurier New Music Festival? Renowned for her seamless technique and interpretive clarity, Petrowska has given world and out-of-this-world premieres of countless works, including one which debuted on Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean's Space Shuttle Columbia flight...one of contemporary music's hottest starts".
- Michael Matthews
Concert Curator
University of Winnipeg

 

Discography

 CONCERTOS PREMIERED BY OR WRITTEN FOR CHRISTINA PETROWSKA QUILICO

Claudio Ambrosini (1948- )
Piano concerto premiered by Petrowska Quilico in Canada, with the SMCQ (Société de Musique Contemporaine du Québec); Walter Boudreau, conductor.  December 9, 1993. Broadcast on Radio-Canada

Violet Archer (1913-2000)
Piano concerto performed by Petrowska Quilico with the CBC  Vancouver Chamber Orchestra; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor. May 1981, Recorded for broadcast on CBC Radio North American premiere of concerto (Divertimento for piano and strings) by Violet Archer with the Tabaret Ensemble, at the University of Ottawa; David Currie, conductor. September 20, 1986.  Recorded for broadcast on CBC radio

Simon Bainsbridge (1952- )
Concerto for oboe, piano and orchestra, performed by Petrowska Quilico with the National Arts Centre Orchestra at the National Arts Centre, Ottawa and the Salle Claude Champagne, Montreal, with Serge Garant, conductor, in 1985. Recorded for broadcast on CBC Radio

Glenn Buhr (1954- )
Piano Concerto recorded by CBC Records Contemporary Piano Concerti with pianist Petrowska Quilico, the Winnipeg Symphony; Bramwell Tovey, conductor; and nominated for a 1996 Juno Award for “Best Composition”. Released on CBC Records in 1995.

Ted Dawson (1951- )
Piano Concerto, commissioned by the Laidlaw Foundation for pianist Petrowska Quilico, who gave the world premiere January 16, 2003 with the Thunder Bay Symphony, Geoffrey Moull, conductor.

George Fiala (1922- )
Piano Concerto written for Petrowska Quilico, premiered at Roy Thomson Hall, November 8, 1987. Recorded for broadcast on CBC Radio

Steven Gellman (1947- )
Piano Concerto commissioned by the Canada Council and written for Petrowska Quilico; world premiere with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra; David Currie, conductor; May 3, 1993, at the National Arts Centre. Recorded for broadcast by CBC Radio

George Koumendakis  
Piano Concerto premiered by Petrowska Quilico at the Athens Music Festival, Athens, Greece, with the Array Ensemble; Henry Kucharzyk, conductor; July 29, 1989. Recorded for radio and TV broadcast by Greek radio and TV

Larysa Kuzmenko (1956- )
Piano Concerto commissioned by the CBC for Petrowska Quilco and premiered at the Winnipeg New Music Festival with the Winnipeg Symphony; Bramwell Tovey, conductor; January 23, 1996. Recorded for broadcast by CBC Radio.
Performed again by Petrowska Quilico with the Toronto Symphony; Jukka Pekka Saraste, conductor; at Massey Hall, Toronto, October 10, 1996. Both performances recorded by CBC Radio  for broadcast.

Alexina Louie (1949- )
Piano Concerto performed by Petrowska Quilico with the National Arts Centre Orchestra at the National Arts Centre; Alex Pauk, conductor; June 21, 1986. 

Also performed by Petrowska Quilico with the Esprit Orchestra at St. Lawrence Centre, Toronto; Alex Pauk, conductor; December 7, 1986. Broadcast on CTV (REALLY??) and on CBC Radio.

Michael Matthews
Piano Concerto performed by Petrowska Quilico with The Composers Orchestra at the Royal Conservatory of Music; Gary Kulesha, conductor; July 6, 1991.

David Mott
Piano Concerto written for Petrowska Quilico. World premiere with world ensemble at The Accolade , York University; Mark Chambers, conductor; March 20, 2006. The concerto is available on Centrediscs Eclipse and was launched aboard the Shuttle Atlantis by astronaut Steve MacLean.

Luis de Pablo (1930- )
Concierto da Camera premiered by Petrowska Quilico with the Société de Musique Contemporaine du Québec; Serge Garant, conductor; at Pollack Hall, Montreal, December 11, 1981. Recorded for broadcast by CBC Radio

Luis de Pablo dedicated his second piano concerto to Petrowska Quilico.

R. Murray Schafer (1933 - )
Harpsichord Concerto performed by Petrowska Quilico with the CJRT Orchestra at York University; James McKay, conductor; January 27, 1988.

Heather Schmidt  
Piano Concerto commissioned for Petrowska Quilico by the CBC and premiered with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra; Daniel Warren, conductor; May 4, 2001. Broadcast on CBC.

Healey Willan (1880-1968)
Piano Concerto performed by pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico with the Taipei Symphony; Victor Feldbrill, conductor; December 5, 1998. Recorded as a CD (True North Festival) and released by SOCAN.  It also featured in a movie of the same name, televised on Bravo!

Tango Gems, The Brazilian Way released by Welspringe Productions.

Vocal Gems, released by Welspringe Productions in March, 2003. Live concert performance in New York with the late baritone Louis Quilico.

Romantic Gems was released by Welspringe Productions in February 2002. It will be the first in a series of "Gems".

Released by Centrediscs(Canadian Music Centre CMCCD 7201), a collections of works by Chris Paul Harman performed by Christina Petrowska Quilico among others.

Northern Sirens (York Fine Arts YFA00999
a collection of works by Canadian female composers Ann Southam, Alexina Louie, Larysa Kuzmenko, Heather Schmidt and Diana McIntosh.

Chants Français et Russes (WELCD002)

Debussy (Welspringe WELCD003)

Mystic Streams (Welspringe WELCD001)

Chopin & Liszt (Welspringe WLLCD004)

Two of A Kind (York Fine Arts 00195)

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