KATHARINE PETKOVSKI (b. 1997) is a Canadian composer and pianist based in Toronto, Ontario. Her music is defined by its emotive depth, refined minimalism, and cross-disciplinary integration. Through her diverse body of work, she seeks to create compelling musical narratives that resonate across different artistic and societal landscapes.
Featured on CBC’s list of “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30”, Katharine’s music has been performed and premiered by celebrated ensembles such as musica intima, the National Youth Choir of Canada, Odin Quartet, and the Exultate Chamber Singers. She has participated in the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Generation Composition Program, novum musica (presented by musica intima and the Canadian Music Centre) and was recently one of three composers accepted to the 2024 Amadeus Choral Creation Lab, a residency for poets and composers led by Andrew Balfour and Luke Hathaway. Katharine was awarded the 2024 Diane Loomer Award in Composition for her piece, “When Music Sounds," marking her first choral publishing deal with Cypress Choral Music. She was awarded the NDSU Edwin Fissinger Choral Composition Prize in 2023 and, in 2021, she was selected as winner of the Bedford Trio Composition Competition. Equally passionate about creating music for visual media and film, Katharine has scored films that have screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival, TIFF Next Wave Film Festival, and Inside Out Film Festival. Her music has been used commercially and was featured by Team Canada leading up to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.
Katharine holds a BMus in Composition from the University of Toronto ('19), and a MMus in Composition from the University of Toronto ('21), where she received the prestigious Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award of $25,000 upon completion. She has been mentored by esteemed composers and music leaders such as James Rolfe, Norbert Palej, and Derek Bermel. Katharine resides in Toronto, where she is an active member of the Screen Composer’s Guild of Canada, the Association of Canadian Women Composers, the Alliance for Women Film Composers, and the Canadian League of Composers.