Medium Biography [354 words]
Christina Volpini (b. 1992, Canada, she/her) is a composer living and working on land within the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant (Hamilton/Toronto). Her work focuses on gradually unfolding harmonies and timbral spaces. Described as “very nuanced, rustling and whispering” (Neomemoire) and “focused intently on the subtle sounds that fall between the cracks.” (Ludwig Van Toronto), her music explores subtle variation in intonation, found objects, instrumental textures, and ephemerality. She frequently develops pieces through a process of creative discovery with other artists, crafting works for specific spaces and performers.
Commissioned projects include works for Continuum Contemporary Music, Jumblies Theatre, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, Array Music Ensemble, percussionist Ryan Scott, harpsichordist Wesley Shen, Duo AIRS, guitarist Emma Rush, and Ensemble Bakalari, among others. Her work has been presented by The Music Gallery, Le Vivier, and Soundstreams, and she has participated in artistic residencies with The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and nyMusikk Norway via Quatuor Bozzini’s Composers’ Kitchen. She is a recipient of SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers in both the Chamber Ensemble and Large Ensemble categories in 2020.
An avid capacity builder in arts spaces, Christina has demonstrated commitment to social responsibility and expanding access to the arts. She was a core organizer of both the Montréal Contemporary Music Lab (MCML) and the Toronto Creative Music Lab (TCML), each of which served as important community-led workshops for early-career artists with an emphasis on peer mentorship and collaboration. Both artist collectives gained significant community support with TCML welcoming over 120 participating artists over four years. Christina holds a Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration and Cultural Management from Humber College and has held the role of Operations Manager at Continuum Contemporary Music since 2021. Since 2020, she has been a board member at The Music Gallery.
Christina is originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario and holds a Masters in Music Composition from McGill University. During her studies, she acted as a research assistant in the Music Perception and Cognition Lab under the supervision of Dr. Stephen McAdams where she contributed to a multi-year project investigating psychological foundations for a theory of orchestration.
Updated August 2022