{"id":116567,"date":"2025-08-06T15:41:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T19:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=116567"},"modified":"2025-08-07T08:00:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T12:00:01","slug":"interview-canadian-pianist-christina-petrowska-quilico-talks-us-biglake-hidden-gems-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/08\/06\/interview-canadian-pianist-christina-petrowska-quilico-talks-us-biglake-hidden-gems-program\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Canadian Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico Talks Us Through Her BigLake Hidden Gems Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_116569\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-116569\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-116569\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-23.jpg\" alt=\"Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico (Photo: Bo Huang)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-23.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-23-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-23-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-23-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-116569\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico (Photo: Bo Huang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The BigLake Festival returns to Prince Edward County later this month with a diverse lineup of artists and venues. The theme of this year\u2019s Festival is \u201chidden gems\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The Festival kicks off on August 15 with a performance by Canadian pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico. She\u2019ll be playing a selection of short pieces, true hidden gems of the classical piano repertoire.<\/p>\n<p>Quilico is making a return to the Festival. \u201cIt was such a lovely experience,\u201d she says of her first appearance there in 2022. Christina relates how she was invited back by Co-founder and Executive Director Elissa Lee. \u201cShe had an idea about hidden gems, so that you kind of open a box of your old repertoire,\u201d Quilico explains. \u201cThat was kind of the premise of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We asked the award-winning pianist about the music she\u2019s chosen for the program.<\/p>\n<p>Christina Petrowska Quilico performs Ann Southam jazzy selections (Cool Blue Red Hot, 5 Shades of Blue, 3 Shades of Blue) at a York Faculty recital in 2018:<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9i2-D4j9ZH4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h2>Christina Petrowska Quilico: The Interview<\/h2>\n<p>The program begins with composer Ilse Fromm-Michaels and her piece Langsamer Walzer, or \u201cslow waltz\u201d. Fromm-Michaels was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1888, and died in 1986 at the age of 97.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was quite the pianist,\u201d Quilico relates. Fromm-Michaels was known to perform Rachmaninoff\u2019s challenging Concerto No. 3, and the equally difficult works of Max Reger. \u201cShe did finger busters,\u201d Quilico adds. \u201cShe was very much into the Rachmaninoff style.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Langsamer Walzer is one of the last waltzes she composed, it is believed around 1950.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s full of nostalgia. I love Korngold,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s quirky, it\u2019s unique. It\u2019s not like a Chopin waltz.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The program, in fact, began with Fromm-Michaels\u2019 work. \u201cI started with her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Three pieces by Meredith Monk follow \u2014 St. Petersburg Waltz, Paris, and Railroad (Travel Song). American composer Meredith Monk often creates multidisciplinary works that combine dance, theatre, and music. Born in 1942, she&#8217;s a multi-award winner, including the Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s quite unique,\u201d Quilico says \u201cShe\u2019s an inventive composer, certainly an icon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Along with her compositions, Monk is known for her work as a director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was a pioneer in extended vocal technique. She deserves credit. She had groundbreaking music,\u201d she adds. \u201cI picked four of her pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The St. Petersburg Waltz is a sad composition. \u201cThe harmonies are shifting. She has written instructions for performance: Dancing, gentle, forward, motion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Quilico cites the frequent changes of tempo in the piece. \u201cShe makes them organic.\u201d It was written in 1994, and Christina says Monk makes the right hand sound like a balalaika, a traditional Russian stringed instrument, giving the work a folk-like dance energy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are a lot of surprises.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paris was written in 1972. Quilico calls in a quirky piece, full of tempo changes, with a short improvisation in the middle. \u201cIt\u2019s in a dance style from Paris,\u201d she says, likening it to \u201ca bit of Debussy\u201d. \u201cIt\u2019s got a lot of surprises.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Railroad (Travel Song) is meant to mimic the rhythm of a train travelling down the tracks. \u201cIt\u2019s a really neat piece. It\u2019s got quirky rhythms. It\u2019s very bluesy,\u201d Quilico says \u201cFor me, this was an introduction into the blues style.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TroM2mY12Wg?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Christina has notably recorded music of Ann Southam\u2019s. The concert program includes her pieces 5 Shades of Blue and 3 Shades of Blue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe had these jazz pieces,\u201d Quilico says. \u201cWho would have thought that Ann Southam would be into jazz? I think they\u2019re absolutely wonderful.\u201d Quilico recorded both for one of her albums. \u201cI play it, and it\u2019s blues. She uses jazz language, the 12-bar blues structure.\u201d Christina cites the piece\u2019s syncopated rhyyms and improvised passages, along with a classic jazzy walking bass line<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe has a couple of wild gestures,\u201d she adds. \u201cIt\u2019s got a showy, virtuosic style, with a blues swing. In classical music, there\u2019s that tension between consonance and dissonance,\u201d she notes. \u201cSome of them are very tricky to play. You really need to get into the style.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s led to a lifelong love of the genre. \u201cWhat I love about jazz players is that they\u2019re so into the music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alice Ping Yee Ho\u2019s A Manic Ride Through Lollipop Hell rounds out the first half of the program. In September, Quilico will be recording a second volume of Ho\u2019s music, and A Manic&#8230; will be part of that album. Christina describes it as pictures of an imagined landscape.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s lots of fun to work with,\u201d Quilico says. \u201cShe writes especially well. It\u2019s brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ho describes the piece in her writing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s based on my one act horror anime opera, Labyrinth of Tears,\u201d she writes. It\u2019s a work she\u2019s still in the midst of writing about the adventure and friendship between five schoolgirls from an academy of arts. \u201cThis is captured in three movements of contrasting character.\u201d The music is a crossover between pop and classical \u201c&#8230;and demands great technical virtuosity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The piece is dramatic and intense.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is quite something. It\u2019s tricky,\u201d Christina says. \u201cThen I will have intermission, and I will need it for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Program: The Second Half<\/h3>\n<p>After intermission, the concert veers away from strictly classical or Western art music. Masamitsu Takahashi\u2019s Capriccio opens the second half. \u201cIt\u2019s jazz. It\u2019s difficult too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s not a lot of information available about the Japanese composer, despite the fact that he\u2019s a member of a number of organizations devoted to traditional Japanese music.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI received the composition through some Japanese composers some years ago,\u201d Christina says. \u201cThis one caught my fancy because of the jazz element. It\u2019s difficult, it\u2019s virtuosic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jazz great Art Tatum\u2019s hits I\u2019ll Never Be the Same and Don\u2019t Get Around Much Anymore are next in the program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then we go to one of my favourites, Art Tatum,\u201d Quilico says. \u201cI discovered him many, many years ago. I was in my 20s, and I had been in an international piano competition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the judges reached out to her after the competition, and it began a musical friendship. \u201cHe was the one who introduced me to Art Tatum,\u201d she says. \u201cHe played him, and I almost passed out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As she notes, Art Tatum was legally blind, yet played with an almost impossible speed, including a left hand with a stride beat. \u201cIt\u2019s like having a chocolate dessert \u2014 it\u2019s so rich and flavourful. His artistry is unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a pianist steeped in the classical tradition, she was amazed by Tatum\u2019s gift both as a performer and composer, and notes that giants of the classical world like Rachmaninoff and Vladimir Horowitz were equally incredulous at his technique.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis to me talks about jazz. They feel the beat so strongly, but they have the freedom to play around with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Christina Petrowska Quilico performs Ernesto Nazareth\u2019s Fon Fon in recital at Hart House, University of Toronto, on July 28, 2015:<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Vtd-gQ4hqxM?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>From jazz, the program ends with Brazilian Tangos by Ernesto Nazareth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought I would end with tangos,\u201d Christina says.<\/p>\n<p>She points out the differences between Argentine and Brazilian tangos; among them, that the latter incorporates a more upbeat finish, where tragedy can become optimism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNazareth had a kind of tongue in cheek sense of humour.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Quilico\u2019s two-CD set Tangos Brasileiros \u2013 The Music of Ernesto Nazareth came out in 2013. \u201cI did 24 tangos, it\u2019s a two-CD set.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To immerse herself in the flavour of the music, she took an unusual route.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t go to a musician, I went to my dance teacher,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Nazareth had aspirations of becoming a classical pianist, but took work where he could find it, including playing piano for movies. He did compose two pieces that became hits, but had sold the rights to his publisher.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t have the happiest life, he didn\u2019t make much money, but he certainly wrote a lot,\u201d she says. \u201cHe introduced Afro-Brazilian rhythms into polkas and waltzes.\u201d Nazareth left a legacy of 211 completed works, including 88 tangos.<\/p>\n<p>Quilico notes the balance in his works between a solid left hand, and the gently shifting moods produced by the right.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnlike the Argentine tangos that have the rubatos written in, with Nazareth, because they\u2019re rhythm-based, the Afro-rhythms take precedence. You have to be careful they don\u2019t become chunky. It\u2019s a fine balance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The tangos finish the program with a flourish.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI start with a dance and finish with a dance.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Find concert details and tickets for the August 15 opener of the BigLake Festival [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/biglakearts.com\/august-15-2025-hidden-gems\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:anya@ludwig-van.com?subject=Let's%20chat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><u>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid=S3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid%3DS3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1695737525351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0QTqKRwRJQFGK3KoJYigxX\">HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The BigLake Festival kicks off on August 15 with Canadian pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico performing a program of short pieces, true hidden gems of the classical piano repertoire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":116569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,76,19,41496,29,32,38,3693,47,59,63],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[27887,10298,10157,10607,6616,10299,8295,23600],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-23.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-uk7","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116567"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116567"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116577,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116567\/revisions\/116577"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116567"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=116567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}