Joseph Petric reimagining the accordion
The Artist
“A performer of miraculous power and understated mastery” (Winnipeg Sun) Joseph Petric's London solo debut recital was acclaimed by The Independent while his American debut merited a citation in “Performances of the Year” by the Washington Post’s Joseph D. McLellan. Mr. Petric's trajectory across the Classical concert hall includes appearances at Seiji Ozawa Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Bunkai Kaikan Hall and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. His opus of 360 commissioned works underscores his deep engagement with audiences and his forensic enhancement of the accordion canon, a curatorial initiative well in tune with the artistic stewardship of the Arditti Quartet, the Kronos Quartet and the London Sinfonietta.
Mr. Petric's concerto debut with the Toronto Symphony under Jukka Pekka Saraste began his concerto-led career and his historic performance of three concertos in one evening with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. He has collaborated with Pauline Oliveros, Witold Lutoslawski, John Cage, David Tudor, the Penderecki Quartet, Pentaedre, Christoph Pregardien, SMCQ, the Canadian Electronic Ensemble and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. His recent contemporary solo album SEEN was cited for its “stunning, powerhouse performances” (Fanfare).
A historian, theorist, composer and author, Mr Petric's publications and research reflect a rounded curiosity and responsible relationship to the past beginning with his recovery of Giovanni Gagliardi’s forgotten 1911 Paris treatise Manualetto del Fisharmonicista [2017 Augemus]. Professor of graduate performance by acclamation at the Faculté de Musique, Université de Montréal (Québec) Petric plays a bespoke instrument modelled on the 1910 Italian Camerano built by Leo Niemi, 1996 in Sudbury, Ontario.
Mr Petric divides his time between Upper Canada, Montreal and the Ionian coast.
NEWS
October 1st - Launch of Accordion Dialogues and the Poetics of an Interpretive Art Augemus Press, Essen, Germany. Now available at www.Augemus.de
Planned recording of Iberian sonatas by composers Casanovas, Galles, Albeniz, Soler and Scarlatti on the ASTRILA label.
Ongoing research and manuscript preparation for An Invitation to Accordion Roundness [ Augemus Press ]
Updates, Universite de Montreal
The final masters recital by international student Julius Schepansky was awarded the status of "Exceptional Recital" and a citation for the Prix du President by jury unanimity. A first year doctoral performance candidate, he has performed at Montreal's Lichtenstein Hall, Salle Serge Garant, with the Hamilton Philharmonic, and Montreal's Nouvel Ensemble Moderne with conductor Jean-Michael Lavoie. Upcoming engagements include Gerard Grisey's Partiels with the University of Toronto New Music Ensemble, a German performance of Jukka Tiensuu's Accordion Concerto March 2026 and a solo appearance at the UofT New Music Festival 2027.
Lutosławski – Dance Preludes (1954)
Joseph Petric gratefully acknowledges the generous support of:
...External Affairs Canada, The Svenska Reikskonzerter and the late Toronto philanthropist Roger Moore.