CMFAA User Profile

Dr. Christine Vanderkooy has performed as a soloist across Canada, and in the USA and Europe, including a European recital tour, 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 performances include an invitation to New York City by the Leschetizky Association, a debut of commissioned works by David L. McIntyre at the CFMTA national convention, a recital for the University Music Society national conference, and appearances with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra including Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Nonet, 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, Schubert: Late Piano Works, produced by Mark Willsher, was recorded at the Glenn Gould Studio during Toronto’s pandemic lockdown and comprises two works composed by Franz Schubert in the twilight of his life—the Sonata in C-minor, D. 958, and Drei Klavierstücke, D. 946.

Dr. Vanderkooy’s national reputation as a piano pedagogue is reflected in frequent invitations to adjudicate festivals and competitions, including the Ontario, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Quebec Provincials, 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. Christine has been invited to give masterclasses at the University of Lethbridge, Regina Conservatory, McMaster University, Bishop’s University, the Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association, and the CFMTA national convention. An enthusiastic supporter of amateur musicians, Christine taught and performed for many years at CAMMAC’s summer festival (Canadian Amateur Musicians Musiciens Amateur Canadiens) in Laurentides, QC.

Christine’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, Christine 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’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 (D.Mus.) degree in Piano Performance, Christine has since held music 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.