Dinuk Wijeratne

"Young Dynamo" - the COAST
"Brilliance....a supreme musician." - the CHRONICLE HERALD

A truly versatile artist, Sri Lankan-born Dinuk Wijeratne divides his time between composing, conducting, and piano performance.

Dinuk grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before taking up composition studies at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, UK. The college premiere of his Concerto for Percussion (2000) for Adrian Spillett led to professional commissions from leading UK ensembles such as 4-Mality Percussion Quartet and the Apollo Saxophone Quartet. As pianist for RNCM Jazz Dinuk performed his original jazz compositions with Ed Thigpen, Victor Mendoza, Nikki Illes, Guy Barker, Gerard Presencer, Julian Argüilles, Mark Nightingale, John Dankworth, and Tim Garland.

In 2001, Dinuk was invited by composer John Corigliano to join his studio at New York's Juilliard School. Dinuk's Chamber Concerto 'About Sankhara' (2003) was commissioned by the New Juilliard Ensemble and was the first work by a Sri Lankan composer to be performed at Lincoln Center. Dinuk was also composition fellow at the 2002 Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, and was appointed Artist-in-Residence by the Performing Arts Foundation at International House for the 2003/4 season. Conducting studies followed at New York's Mannes College of Music under the tutelage of David Hayes. Soon after, Dinuk made his Carnegie Hall debut as a conductor, composer and pianist, performing with Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. Dinuk's collaborations with Kathak (North Indian dance) have taken him to Los Angeles in 2006, and Power Play, his 2004 commission for the New York Kathak Ensemble, culminated in a week's run of performances.

A firm believer in the universality of music, Dinuk founded the cutting-edge NYC-based multimedia group NEOLEXICA in 2003 together with Turkish DJ Umut Gokcen, Silk Road Ensemble artist Kevork Mourad from Armenia, and Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh (a soloist with Daniel
Barenboim's Divan Orchestra for Arabs and Israelis). The quartet synesthetically combine live illustration with a uniquely multinational blend of acoustic & electronic music. Dinuk and Kinan recently made their Paris debut at Opera Bastille. As a trio, together with Tabla prodigy Mayookh Bhaumik, they make their debuts at festivals in the US, Canada and the Middle East. The trio have forged a partnership of original compositions and improvisations which explore new sonorities, Middle Eastern and South Asian influences.

Dinuk is returning for his third season as Music Director of the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra. Dinuk has also conducted the National Arts Centre Orchestra and, in the capacity of Conductor-in-Residence 2005-08, appeared many times with Symphony Nova Scotia. Recent work includes the CBC Radio commission 'Hymnpeace [ReMixed]' for Symphony Nova Scotia and the turntabling of 'Buck 65'. 'Colour-study in Rupaktaal', a piano piece inspired by the intricate and virtuosic music of classical Indian tabla, was toured by David Jalbert in his 2008 Debut Atlantic recitals.

The Canada Council for the Arts recently awarded Dinuk the 2008 Jean-Marie Beaudet award for orchestral conducting. He is also the recipient of Juilliard and Mannes scholarships; two Countess of Munster composition grants; the Sema Jazz Improvisation Prize; the Soroptimist International Award for Composer-Conductors; and the Sir John Manduell Prize - the RNCM's highest student honor. His music and collaborative work embrace the great diversity of his international background and influences.

MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/dinukwijeratne