Christina Petrowska Quilico Appointed to Order of Canada

This year Professor Christina Petrowska Quilico was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada (C.M.). The award recognizes “her celebrated career as a classical and contemporary pianist, and for championing Canadian music”, and it comes as a well-deserved recognition of her outstanding contributions to Canadian musical heritage and her impactful career.

In a performing career that spans 60 years, pianist Professor Petrowska Quilico has helped define contemporary Canadian music. She is not only a celebrated pianist, but also as a champion of Canadian contemporary composers. Her career includes exceptional and wide-ranging work as a classical pianist, including acclaimed performances of Bach, Beethoven and Chopin to 20th-century repertoire, both established work and new compositions. She is considered one of Canada’s top classical pianists, listed as one of Canada’s top 25 classical pianists by the CBC. She is distinguished for her technical mastery of the keys and unique musical interpretations, and is noted for her unrelenting promotion of Canadian music. She has used her stage as a premier performer to elevate the works of other Canadian artists, especially contemporary and female composers. Her beautiful musical interpretations of their works have helped these Canadian composers gain new recognition and audiences, both at home and abroad.

Her dedication to Canadian music continues through both her teaching and charitable work. By generously supporting young artists and emerging talent in Canada through the Christina and Louis Quilico Award for young operatic talent, she has helped shape the next generation of musical performers. She has been an integral part of the York University Music Department for over thirty years and many of her students have gone on to have successful performance and recording careers. She continues to teach in the Music Department and is currently working on several recordings for release next year.  

We congratulate Professor Christina Petrowska Quilico for this honour and thank her for all of her contributions to Canadian Music.