Cristina Pato

Cristina Pato is a Galician bagpiper (gaita), a classical pianist, a writer and a passionate educator. Hailed as “a virtuosic burst of energy” by The New York Times, her professional life is devoted to teaching and performance that explores the role of the arts and sciences in society.

In addition to her work as a performing and recording musician, Cristina has been artist-in-residence and instructor at universities including Harvard and the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she co-created a groundbreaking class on memory with neuroscientist Kenneth S. Kosik and artist Kim Yasuda. She has also served as Learning Advisor for Silkroad, the organization founded by Yo-Yo Ma. Cristina is the founder of the multidisciplinary Galician Connection Festival, writes a weekly column for the Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia, and was the 2019-20 Chair of Spanish Culture and Civilization at the King Juan Carlos I Center at New York University.

Cristina holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Rutgers University, degrees in piano, music theory, and chamber music from the Conservatorio de Musica del Liceu, and a Master of Digital Arts from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies at Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.

Cristina divides her time between New York City and Galicia and is married to photographer Xan Padrón.