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Pianist plays Westacres in Maple Ridge

Janina Fialkowska known for her interpretations of Chopin and Mozart
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Pianist Janina Fialkowska plays Maple Ridge Saturday

Pianist Janina Fialkowska returns to the Maple Ridge Music Society this week with a program of Schubert and Chopin.

Beloved the world over for her exquisite pianism, Fialkowska has enchanted audiences for more than 30 years with her glorious lyrical sound, her sterling musicianship and her profound sense of musical integrity.

Celebrated for her interpretations of the classical and romantic repertoire, she is particularly distinguished as one of the great interpreters of the piano works of Chopin and Mozart.

She has also won acclaim as a champion of the music of 20th century Polish composers, both in concert and on disc.

Born to a Canadian mother and a Polish father in Montreal, Fialkowska started to study the piano with her mother at the age of five.

Eventually she entered the Ecole de Musique Vincent d’Indy, studying under the tutelage of Mlle. Yvonne Hubert. The University of Montreal awarded her both advanced degrees of “Baccalaureat” and “Maitrise” by the time she was only 17.

A regular guest soloist with the world’s most prestigious orchestras in North America, Europe and Asia, she has worked with such conductors as Charles Dutoit, Bernard Haitink, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Metha, Sir Roger Norrington, Sir Georg Solti, Leonard Slatkin, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and many others.

Fialkowska was awarded a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in Classical Music on Tuesday.

In recognition of her achievement, Ms. Fialkowska receives a cash award of $25,000 provided by the Canada Council for the Arts and a commemorative medallion provided by the Royal Canadian Mint.

Recipients will also be honoured at a special Gala Awards weekend in Ottawa on May 4 and 5.

Fialkowska’s six ATMA recordings have been enthusiastically received by critics and music lovers around the world. Her latest recording, Chopin Recital II will be released on April 24.

Showtime

The Maple Ridge Music Society hosts pianist Janina Fialkowska on Saturday, March 17 at 8 p.m. at Westacres. Tickets: Call 604 467-3162 or visit mapleridgemusicsociety.com.