Dinuk Wijeratne

From Wind Repertory Project
Dinuk Wijeratne

Biography

Dinuk Wijeratne (b. 1978, Sri Lanka) is a Canadian-based composer, conductor and pianist.

Dinuk was born in Sri Lanka, raised in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, and studied composition at the Royal Northern College of Music, Julliard and the University of Toronto, and with John Corigliano at Juilliard in New York.

As a performer, Wijeratne made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2004 as a conductor, composer and pianist, performing with Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. As a composer, his music contains many non-Western influences, and embrace the great diversity of his international background and influences.

A passionate educator, Dinuk has lectured at the universities of Dalhousie, Acadia and Saskatchewan. Wijeratne has been the Music Director for the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra since 2000, and held a three-year appointment as Conductor-in-Residence with Symphony Nova Scotia. He has conducted the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Scotia Festival Orchestra. He is the recipient of the Canada Council Jean-Marie Beaudet award for orchestral conducting; the NS Established Artist Award; a NS Masterworks nomination for his 2011 Tabla Concerto; double Merritt Award nominations; Juilliard, Mannes & Countess of Munster scholarships; the Sema Jazz Improvisation Prize; the Soroptimist International Award for Composer-Conductors; and the Sir John Manduell Prize – the RNCM’s highest student honor.


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