{"id":123387,"date":"2026-04-15T13:12:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T17:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=123387"},"modified":"2026-04-15T14:00:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T18:00:02","slug":"interview-pianist-christina-petrowska-quilico-composer-alice-ping-yee-ho-talk-imagined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/04\/15\/interview-pianist-christina-petrowska-quilico-composer-alice-ping-yee-ho-talk-imagined\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico &amp; Composer Alice Ping Yee Ho Talk About The Imagined"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_123391\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-123391\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-123391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Copy-of-REVIEW.jpg\" alt=\"L: Composer Alice Ping Yee Ho (Photo: Bo Huang); R: Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Copy-of-REVIEW.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Copy-of-REVIEW-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Copy-of-REVIEW-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Copy-of-REVIEW-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-123391\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">L: Composer Alice Ping Yee Ho (Photo: Bo Huang); R: Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Imagined is the title of a new release by pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico, featuring the music of composer Alice Ping Yee Ho. The Imagined includes the world premiere of a concerto written for Quilico, titled Pictures from an Imagined Exhibition.<\/p>\n<p>The album will be released on <strong>Navona Records<\/strong> on <strong>May 8, 2026<\/strong>, but you\u2019ll be able to hear most of it live at its official launch on <strong>April 21<\/strong> at Toronto\u2019s <strong>Canadian Music Centre<\/strong>, and the world premiere of Ho\u2019s concerto with the <strong>Kindred Spirits Orchestra<\/strong> on <strong>May 16<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The album includes four compositions \u2014 <strong>Pictures from an Imagined Exhibition<\/strong> (1. Free Strokes; 2. Distant Drums; 3. Mystical Mountains; 4. Dancing Colours); <strong>Hong Kong Nostalgia<\/strong> (1. Connaught Mansion; 2. Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas; 3. Night Markets); <strong>A Manic Ride through Lollipop Hell<\/strong> (1. The Labyrinth; 2. A Sad Luallaby; 3. The Great Escape); <strong>The Chinese Nightingale.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It represents Quilico\u2019s 67th recording. Her broad ranging catalogue includes music from Mozart to the present day. Quilico has often championed the work of Canadian and women composers, and The Imagined is her second album spotlighting the music of Alice Ping Yee Ho. Blaze was released in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Christina\u2019s gifts as a musician and as an artist come to the fore on the latest release \u2014 she also created the design for the album cover.<\/p>\n<p>LV caught up with Petrowska Quilico and Ho to talk about their collaboration.<\/p>\n<p>Cyclone, by composer Alice Ping Yee Ho, from Christina Petrowska Quilico&#8217;s album Blaze (2023):<\/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\/jVc3U19VhtM?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>Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico &amp; Composer Alice Ping Yee Ho: The Interview<\/h2>\n<p>The collaboration between the two artists is obviously a fruitful one. What qualities make it so?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the generosity of a composer who allows the interpreter to have some freedom, who has an understanding of the piano and the piano repertoire, and that we play at slightly different tempos depending on the piano and the acoustics,\u201d begins Christina Petrowska Quilico.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo be friends, and to have fun while doing it is the most important thing,\u201d the pianist adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think from me, the most important thing is the faith, and the trust in the partnership,\u201d says Ho. She describes herself as a \u201clong time fan\u201d of Christina\u2019s work. \u201cIt started a few years ago. Christina is so supportive,\u201d she adds. \u201cWe stared with a recording of a double concerto.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alice admires the qualities that have earned Christina renown. \u201cBeside being a virtuoso, a champion of new Canadian music,\u201d she explains, \u201cshe is also a very generous person. She has such open mindedness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ho lauds her musically adventurous spirit. \u201cShe never says no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t let that get out,\u201d laughs Petrowska Quilico. \u201cI think it&#8217;s also not being involved with one\u2019s ego.\u201d she says. \u201cThankfully Alice is so kind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s about being able to admit mistakes, and keep working. It results in a back and forth creative flow. Christina relates that she requested a cadenza in the concerto. \u201cWhich she did. She&#8217;s unbelievably gifted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also notes Alice Ping Yee Ho\u2019s prodigious output as a composer.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, it\u2019s about the ease of working together. \u201cIt&#8217;s that kind of thing. With some people that you work with, there\u2019s an ego involved,\u201d Petrowska Quilico says. \u201cIf you don\u2019t give a little bit in your opinion, you\u2019re not going to have fun and the joy of playing.<\/p>\n<p>A forgiving attitude on both sides helps too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have to realize that we&#8217;re all human, and we don&#8217;t play as well each time,\u201d Petrowska Quilico says. \u201cI appreciate Alice and her support.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Patience also comes in handy when difficulties come up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had quite the time with the electronics,\u201d Christina says. \u201cThey&#8217;re very tricky. And we did it in an afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Being open to new music goes back to Petrowska Quilico\u2019s student days, and her mother\u2019s advice, as she relates. At one point, as a child, she was stuck on Chopin, Beethoven et al. Her teacher gave her a piece of new music and wanted her to learn it. Christina initially balked at the idea, but her mother gave her a suggestion that has served her well ever since. \u201cShe said, look, try to find something in the piece, and create something beautiful for yourself. Pretend you&#8217;re playing romantic music. I ended up really loving the piece,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if you don&#8217;t like it, and some pieces are extremely difficult, if you can find something that creates a spark, it really opens up the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_123389\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-123389\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-123389\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/nv6857-The_Imagined_album_front_cover-1.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of The Imagined, an album by pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico and composer Alice Ping Yee Ho, featuring a painting by Petrowska Quilico\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/nv6857-The_Imagined_album_front_cover-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/nv6857-The_Imagined_album_front_cover-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/nv6857-The_Imagined_album_front_cover-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/nv6857-The_Imagined_album_front_cover-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/nv6857-The_Imagined_album_front_cover-1-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-123389\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cover of The Imagined, an album by pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico and composer Alice Ping Yee Ho, featuring a painting by Petrowska Quilico<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Music &amp; Storytelling<\/h3>\n<p>Telling a story with music is part of Petrowska Quilico\u2019s artistic practice, which includes working with other art forms like literature, painting, and drawing. Through them all, she creates a story line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think very much, this project, The Imagined, certainly, there&#8217;s a story line with the pieces that is very inspirational,\u201d she says. It informs how she works on the technical aspects of performance, including textures, colours, and phrasing within a piece<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat makes the adventure of playing contemporary music very inspiring and very exciting,\u201d Christina adds. \u201cLive performing, you have to realize, it has to fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ho emphasizes that the story connects with the audience or listeners.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think for me, I think I need to have an emotional content in everything I create, not just intellectually,\u201d Alice says.<\/p>\n<p>The pieces on The Imagined are part of a body of work she\u2019s created over the last few years via various commissions, and working with Christina and other artists. The pieces have revolved around memories, Japanese horror, and her own heritage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Christina, I was always an admirer [&#8230;] of her painting, and I always wanted to relate that experience of the light into the piece.<\/p>\n<p>Pictures at an Imagined Exhibition was inspired by Petrowska Quilico\u2019s visual art, along with that of Hong Kong ink master Wesley Tongson (1957 \u2013 2012).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt becomes naturally a journey, and a pianist being the interpreter, she will be the storyteller of every word that takes the audience to a landscape, to an imaginary world,\u201d Ho explains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI appreciate that Alice has somehow allowed me to enter into her heritage,\u201d Petrowska Quilico says. \u201cI&#8217;ve always loved the paintings and the watercolours, especially, the history and the embroidery.<br \/>\nIt just resonates with me,\u201d she adds. \u201cIt seemed quite natural to be a storyteller. I do write a lot of poetry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Petrowska Quilico notes that she uses visual material to teach music, and add context to the pieces she discusses with her students.<\/p>\n<p>Imagined Spaces, Art Forms<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the exciting part for me, for an artist, we don\u2019t need to go to that place. We always imagine. And by imagining, we create a world that has a lot of personal nuances,\u201d Alice says.<\/p>\n<p>She notes that the audience, in turn, can create their own worlds from the music they hear. It\u2019s not about depicting a place down to its specific, realistic detail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe has such an immense respect for many things, for other cultures and disciplines,\u201d Ho says of Petrowska Quilico. \u201cI think it was quite easy [to decide] that she would be the right pianist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think of myself as still a work in progress,\u201d Christina says. \u201cThat makes it more fun for me to to create. I&#8217;m still learning. I&#8217;m a work in progress, and I&#8217;m willing to change, and take other people&#8217;s opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of Christina\u2019s paintings is the basis for the album cover. \u201cWe had some fun choosing a cover,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe designers for record companies are wonderful. But they&#8217;re artists, they\u2019re not musicians,\u201d Petrowska Quilico says. \u201cI&#8217;ve done now ten album covers. When you look at a cover, it should give an indication of a bit of the music \u2014 texture, story \u2014 but it also can&#8217;t be too fussy,\u201d she says. \u201cThere&#8217;s a lot of passion in this album.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ho relates that one of the ideas came from considering Chinese characters to start with. She settled on the character that depicts \u201cimagined\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love this stroke, and it\u2019s quite elegant,\u201d Alice says.<\/p>\n<p>The Chinese character was incorporated into Petrowska Quilico\u2019s composition of colour and textures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe kind of got it,\u201d Ho says. \u201cWe like something striking and unusual. My education going back years ago is coming into use,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCovers are very important because they say what the music is about,\u201d Christina adds. \u201cIf we work as a team, everything comes together.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_123390\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-123390\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-123390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Christina-Petrowska-Quilico_Photo-credit-Bo-Huang_1080x1080.png\" alt=\"Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico (Photo: Bo Huang)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Christina-Petrowska-Quilico_Photo-credit-Bo-Huang_1080x1080.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Christina-Petrowska-Quilico_Photo-credit-Bo-Huang_1080x1080-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Christina-Petrowska-Quilico_Photo-credit-Bo-Huang_1080x1080-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Christina-Petrowska-Quilico_Photo-credit-Bo-Huang_1080x1080-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Christina-Petrowska-Quilico_Photo-credit-Bo-Huang_1080x1080-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-123390\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico (Photo: Bo Huang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>The Music<\/h3>\n<p>Together, the pieces cycle through a range of moods, from Ride Through Lollipop Hell, which incorporates a peaceful lullaby in between two manic movements, to the nostalgia of Hong Kong Nostalgia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love that one,\u201d notes Christina. \u201cI hear the music through the misty clouds. It&#8217;s very impressionistic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Night Market blends textures and colours to depict the bustling activity of a Hong Kong night market. \u201cI see little kids running around, and a lot of things, the smells of a market,\u201d Petrowska Quilico says.<\/p>\n<p>Chinese nightingale is a contrast. \u201cIt\u2019s totally different,\u201d Christina notes. It\u2019s the piece that incorporates both ancient instruments and electronics. \u201cBut it enhances the piano part really brilliantly.\u201d Because of the logistics of the electronic elements, it\u2019s the one piece that won\u2019t be performed at the album release event.<\/p>\n<p>Pictures from an Imagined Exhibition is probably the most challenging. \u201cThey&#8217;re tricky to play; it\u2019s challenging to get all of the details,\u201d Petrowska Quilico adds. She\u2019s looking forward to playing it live. \u201cI think it&#8217;s going to be very exciting. I hope that I&#8217;m up to the adventure of presenting this to the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think just to make it concise, perhaps for the audience, perhaps it is a journey that for me starts with Hong Kong,\u201d notes Alice Ping Yee Ho.<\/p>\n<p>She points out that she was born in Hong Kong, but raised in Canada.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it&#8217;s a great experience to visit all those cultures with the music,\u201d Christina says. \u201cI think this music is a really wonderful way to get away from the stress, and into the beauty of Chinese culture.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Events<\/h2>\n<p>There are two opportunities to hear the music live in the coming few weeks, along with the CD release itself.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The album launch takes place<strong> April 21<\/strong> at the <strong>Canadian Music Centre<\/strong>. Tickets are free, but registration is required; info [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cmccanada.org\/event\/the-imagined-album-launch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>Kindred Spirits Orchestra<\/strong>, conducted by Kristian Alexander, will conduct the live world premiere of Ho\u2019s concerto for piano, Pictures at an Imaginary Exhibition, on <strong>May 16<\/strong>. The work is featured on a program titled Images at an Exhibition, and was commissioned with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts by the KSO. Find details and tickets [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ksorchestra.ca\/2025-2026-season\/images-at-an-exhibition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<li>The album is available on <strong>Navona Records<\/strong> as of <strong>May 8, 2026<\/strong> [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.navonarecords.com\/catalog\/nv6857\/\" 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? 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