Dr. Christine Vanderkooy, piano
Canadian pianist Dr. Christine Vanderkooy has performed as a soloist across Canada, and in the USA and Europe, including a European recital tour, and is a Laureate of the Eckhardt-Grammaté National Piano Competition, the Gaudeamus International Competition in the Netherlands, and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in the Dietrich Fischer Dieskau Workshop. Recent performance highlights include an invitation by the Leschetizky Association to perform in New York City, a debut of commissioned works by Canadian composer David L. McIntyre at the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations national convention, a recital for the Canadian University Music Society national conference, and appearances with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra including the Mozart Concerto for Two Pianos, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Nonet, op. 2, and Bach’s Concerto No. 5 in F minor. Her CD release, Schubert and Schumann, was recorded at the Banff Centre for the Arts and has enjoyed critical acclaim including a cover story for Tempo magazine as well as radio play on CBC Radio and stations across the continent. Christine’s newest album release, recorded at the Glenn Gould Studio during Toronto’s lockdown in December 2020, comprises two works composed by Schubert in the twilight of his life—the Sonata in C-minor, D. 958, and Drei Klavierstucke, D. 946. The album was produced by Mark Willsher, music editor for Lord of the Rings and Downton Abbey, and distributed by New Leaf Distribution.
Dr. Vanderkooy’s national reputation as a music pedagogue is reflected in frequent invitations to adjudicate festivals and competitions, including provincial competitions in British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec, the National Piano Competition for the CFMTA (Canadian Federation of Music Teacher’s Associations, 2011 and 2019) and as a judge for the Canadian JUNO Awards. Dr. Vanderkooy has been invited to give masterclasses at McMaster University, University of Lethbridge, Regina Conservatory, Bishop’s University, the Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association, and the CFMTA national convention. An enthusiastic supporter of amateur musicians, Dr. Vanderkooy taught and performed for many years at CAMMAC’s summer festival (Canadian Amateur Musicians Musiciens Amateur Canadiens) in Laurentides, QC.
Dr. Vanderkooy’s contributions as a writer and presenter include a conference presentation in Florence, Italy, and an invited presentation at the University of Arizona on the psychological and physiological aspects of Music Performance Anxiety, a presentation at the national convention of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations on Beethoven’s pedaling in piano works, and a presentation at Bishop’s University on Russian piano literature. By invitation, Dr. Vanderkooy has contributed an article for the Royal Conservatory of Music blog, designed a course for RCM’s use entitled “Piano Pedagogy: Gesture and Sound”, and traveled with the senior pedagogy team across Alberta as a presenter for the RCM Teacher Professional Development Seminars. Dr. Vanderkooy was featured in a special profile for the Spring 2020 edition of The Canadian Music Teacher magazine.
Christine’s major teachers include David McIntyre, Boyd McDonald, Tom Plaunt, Sara Laimon, and Marc Durand. Having studied and taught at McGill University where she earned a Doctor of Music degree (D.Mus.) in Piano Performance, Dr. Vanderkooy has since held positions at the University of Prince Edward Island, University of Windsor, Lakehead University, and the University of Regina, and joined the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Education in 2017 where she is an Associate Professor.