Award-winning piano virtuoso Christina Petrowska Quilico is one of Canada’s leading interpreters of new music. Besides numerous premieres ranging from solo works to concerti, she performs a wide range of repertoire and has recorded 30 CD titles.
1. What are we interrupting (i.e. what music-related activity are we taking you away from to write this)?
I am reading a student’s doctoral thesis and learning a lot of new repertoire. Also, trying to relax after an extremely busy year (Wednesday, May 22).
2. What, if anything, are you most looking forward to as an audience member between now and September 7?
I hope to get to the National Ballet and any jazz during the summer. I also plan to attend some rehearsals of Shrek The Musical in St. John’s, Newfoundland. It doesn’t open until the fall, but I have to see my granddaughter, who has one of the leads, as the Young Fiona.
3. How about as a music maker/player?/4. What are you already preparing for musically beyond the summer? And (how) do your summer plans tie in with these longer term plans?
I have many new pieces to learn. I have two tours in January and February 2014. The first is with the Toronto Dance Theatre, with whom I will play Rivers by Ann Southam for several performances in Halifax, then in Fredericton and Saint John. In February, I have at least seven concerts in Greece – including Athens and Crete – where I will play Visions by Constantine Caravassilis. I will also perform Visions in St. John’s, Newfoundland this September 28at Memorial University. Besides a November solo recital for a faculty concert at York University, I will perform two piano concertos by Violet Archer and Heather Schmidt with the Koffler Strings and Jacques Israelievitch, conductor, on November 24. Jacques and I are also performing all the Mozart violin and piano sonatas on May 4, 2014, in Toronto and May 25 at the Primavera Concerts in St. Catharines. In addition I am working with dancer Terrill Maguire on a project for this October. Then there are several new CD projects. Among them are the completion of Ann Southam’s Glass Houses, a Canadian program with violinist Jacques Israelievitch, and a Brazilian Tangos two-CD set.
