An innovative and versatile artist, Andrea Botticelli has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across Canada and abroad in England, France, Italy, Spain, and the United States. Her performances have been praised as "brilliant and dynamic", with "poetic nuances" and "virtuosity" (Corriere Canadese). She performs on the modern piano as well as historical keyboards.
Dr. Botticelli is dedicated to re-interpreting the Classical repertoire in creative ways by using historical instruments and historically informed methods. Recognized for launching a “Fortepiano Renaissance” (Whole Note), she has recently presented concerts on the historical fortepiano across Southern Ontario, introducing performance on the instrument and historically informed methods to new audiences. Recent performance projects have included appearances at York Region Chamber Music, the Scaramella series, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and the University of Western Ontario.
An active teacher, Dr. Botticelli is a faculty member of the Glenn Gould School, the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy, and the Oscar Peterson School of Music. Her students have achieved outstanding recent success, most notably the 2016 and 2015 Canadian Music Competition Grand Prizes (7-10 year old category), CMC national championships in 2014-2016, as well as making Carnegie Hall, Koerner Hall, and Classical 96.3 FM debuts. Dr. Botticelli is also a frequent adjudicator and a member of the RCM College of Examiners. Some of her earliest students have been accepted into professional music programs at McGill University, University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario, and Wilfrid Laurier University.
Dr. Botticelli is a graduate of the University of Toronto, the Glenn Gould School and the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy. During her doctoral studies at the University of Toronto, she was awarded full-tuition fellowships from the Faculty of Music, as well as travel grants from the School of Graduate Studies. She was also an exchange student at McGill University, studying fortepiano and performance practice. Her research interests include the psychology of performance, piano pedagogy, and performance practice. She has presented her research at the University of Toronto, McGill University, Brock University, Ryerson University, and the University of Calgary.