HCPP GTA
Our Team
We want to see all children have access to high quality music education. Our volunteers and mentor share this vision and are committed to making it happen.
Mentor
Meet our esteemed mentor! Continue reading to learn about her and her role in HCPP.
Christina Petrowska Quilico, C.M, FRSC.
Mentor of the Executive Committee
Photo Credit: Bo Huang
Biography
Ottawa-born, Christina Petrowska Quilico is a celebrated classical pianist who is currently working as a Full Professor at York University. She was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2020 and named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2021. To find out more, please visit here.
Role
GTA's Heart of the City Piano Program is honoured to have Christina as a mentor, who will be supporting and overseeing our program this year!
Executive Committee
Meet the executive committee! Continue reading to learn more about what music means to us and why we believe in HCPP. Hover above our photos to find our favourite music memories and fun facts.
Victoria Gotcheva
Co-Director
I sang in the Mississauga Children’s Choir when I was younger. We occasionaly performed in other cities and would spend the entire bus ride to the venues and back singing together. It was an unforgettable experience to be harmonizing with over fifty people who I could call my friends and who were as passionate about music as me.
Favourite Music Memory
​What does music mean to you?
Although the expression about music being more powerful than words may seem a bit cliché, music’s ability to capture the most profound of emotions never fails to amaze me. Music is an art form that has the potential to bring people together in a way like no other, and I see it as a means to connect and communicate with the people around me. I also find music to be a source of comfort in stressful or challenging situations, and listening to or performing music always leaves me in a more optimistic and calm state of mind.
What do you want to accomplish at HCPP?
I look forward to working with the rest of the team to reach as many young people as possible through this initiative. For me, studying music has led to countless unforgettable and happy moments and been a journey that has taught me so much about myself and what I am capable of accomplishing. I hope that I can help others realize the ways in which learning to play the piano can enrich their lives.
Joy Luo
Co-Director
After performing at a piano recital, my teacher told me that a student had heard me perform and enjoyed the piece so much that they wanted to learn it! It was such a gratifying and humbling experience knowing that my playing was able to highlight the piece's beauty and inspire others to pursue it on their own. That feeling has stuck with me today and encourage me to continue sharing music with others.
Favourite Music Memory
​What does music mean to you?
I've always had a love-hate relationship with music. It's the type of friend that has the capabilities to annoy, frustrate, and push you to your limits (especially while practicing). However, it's also a friend that you'll always come back to because you can express yourself and feel heard in the toughest of days. It doesn't matter how long of a break you take from music, it'll always be there for you no matter what.
What do you want to accomplish at HCPP?
Growing up, I wasn't able to pursue certain music learning opportunities because of financial barriers. At HCPP, I want to help each child have an equal opportunity to learn music in a healthy and fun environment! Not only will they have fun and learn something new, they will have the opportunity to explore a fascinating world of music as they grow older.
Mirabel Zhou
Outreach Officer
I play instruments from 3 different families, the piano, clarinet and trumpet.
Fun Fact
​What does music mean to you?
Music has been a big part of my life. Growing up in an Asian household, I started playing piano at an early age. Whether it’s listen or playing, I saw music as a way of expressing deep and complex emotions that cannot be described by words. Music is fluid, it can be anything you want it to be. Sometimes it hypes me up, sometimes it calms me down. Music has become apart of my identity and how I express myself that I can’t imagine a life without it.
What do you want to accomplish at HCPP?
My goal as a member of the HCPP is give back to the community through music, something I hold close to my heart.
Gianna Leung
Executive of Marketing
There’s a joke in the music community that if you play the wrong note, it just means you’re playing jazz. While it’s obviously not the entire truth, I found a lot of love playing jazz at school because of how casual practicing and performing was. The last concert I did with the band, we all brought beach towels and wore them over our professional performance blacks onstage!
Favourite Music Memory
​What does music mean to you?
Music makes the world a little more bearable and a lot more enjoyable. It’s a form of expression that creates a new and personal final product as something others can experience, appreciate, and relate to. It pulls people together to form communities. I always have a song playing in my head; sometimes it can be a little annoying, but it makes things fun. If you ever get the chance, ask me what’s currently playing!
What do you want to accomplish at HCPP?
Piano education built my character and still impacts how I learn in every field today. I know it’s essential to healthy brain development, and it should be accessible to everyone. Volunteering with HCPP, I also hope to ensure students form a positive relationship with piano and to ignite a passion in them for music so they can experience the beauty of the musical arts on another level.
Amy Feng
Executive of Marketing
Although this is a piano program, my favourite music memory has to be performing with my school band. The feeling you get when you’re in the midst of such a talented group of people playing such different instruments and different parts, but still blending together seamlessly and creating all of these rich harmonies and sounds is truly unmatched.
Favourite Music Memory
​What does music mean to you?
Music has always been my sanctuary, whether it’s creating it or listening to it. It’s something that I can always count on to understand me, however I may be feeling. It’s more versatile and diverse than any other art form, and there’s something in music for everyone.
What do you want to accomplish at HCPP?
I think we’re working towards a great cause here at HCPP. Just as learning the piano has changed my life, I want to be able to spread the joys of piano to as many kids across the GTA as I can, while working with our amazing team. Playing piano is really something that can benefit everybody, so I want to help make this form of music as accessible as possible, especially in the communities that need it most.