Joseph Petric is acknowledged as one of the world’s foremost concert accordion soloists. His goal, to transform the accordion into a major solo instrument, reached a significant point in 1997 when he gave 30 performances in Europe and North America of concertos commissioned by Peter Koprowski, Omar Daniel, Howard Skempton, and Gunnar Valkare. The Koprowski and Valkare concertos were recorded in 1996 and 1998 on the CBC 5000 and STIM labels respectively. His CD recording of the Koprowski Accordion Concerto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is significant as the first major accordion concerto release since Nordheim’s concerto Spur in 1977.
Petric’s repertoire also includes music from the Baroque, Pre-Classical and Romantic periods. In 1991, he revived chamber music for the concertina...

Joseph Petric is acknowledged as one of the world’s foremost concert accordion soloists. His goal, to transform the accordion into a major solo instrument, reached a significant point in 1997 when he gave 30 performances in Europe and North America of concertos commissioned by Peter Koprowski, Omar Daniel, Howard Skempton, and Gunnar Valkare. The Koprowski and Valkare concertos were recorded in 1996 and 1998 on the CBC 5000 and STIM labels respectively. His CD recording of the Koprowski Accordion Concerto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is significant as the first major accordion concerto release since Nordheim’s concerto Spur in 1977.
Petric’s repertoire also includes music from the Baroque, Pre-Classical and Romantic periods. In 1991, he revived chamber music for the concertina which was subsequently recorded for the Musica Viva label that year. As a champion of new music, his repertoire includes new music by Gubajdulina, Hatch, Schaffer, Berio, Hatzis, Kagel, Hosokawa, and Nordheim. He has commissioned more than 108 works, premiered more than 200 and recorded 11 CDs.
As a soloist, Petric has appeared at international festivals such as Siljan, Bournemouth, Huddersfield, Queen’s Festival Belfast, and major venues such as the Kennedy Center, Merkin Hall (USA) Purcell Room, Bridgewater Hall (UK), Salle Pierre-Mercure, Roy Thomson Hall (CAN) and the Yjsbreker (Netherlands). He has been invited to lecture and/or give master classes at the Royal Academy in London, Sibelius Academy, the Central Conservatory of Finland and the Royal Danish Conservatory. Petric has been broadcast extensively on the CBC and SRC in Canada, as well as major European radio systems including BBC Radio 3.
(text: Marilyn Gilbert)