Sri Lankan-born Canadian Dinuk Wijeratne is a JUNO and multi-award-winning composer, conductor, and pianist who has been described by the New York Times as "exuberantly creative" and by the Toronto Star as "an artist who reflects a positive vision of our cultural future."  His boundary-crossing work sees him equally at home in collaborations with symphony orchestras and string quartets, tabla players and DJs, and takes him to international venues as poles apart as the Berlin Philharmonie and the North Sea Jazz Festival.

Dinuk was featured as a main character in ‘What would Beethoven do?’ – the 2016 documentary about innovation in classical music featuring Eric Whitacre, Bobby McFerrin and Ben Zander. Forthcoming projects include new works for Grammy-winning baritone Elliot Madore (featuring Dinuk as pianist) and Grammy-nominated mandolinist Avi Avital, the test piece for the Banff International String Quartet Competition 2022.

Dinuk made his Carnegie Hall debut while still a student in 2004 as a composer, conductor, and pianist performing with Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. A second Carnegie appearance followed in 2009, alongside tabla legend Zakir Hussain. Dinuk grew up in Dubai before taking up composition studies at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). In 2001, he was invited by Oscar-winning composer John Corigliano to join his studio at The Juilliard School. Conducting studies followed at New York’s Mannes College of Music, and doctoral studies at the University of Toronto.

A passionate educator, Dinuk is committed to helping emerging and mid-career classical artists navigate the classical music industry in today’s increasingly complex, diverse and globalized world. As a Creativity Consultant he serves private clients as well as students of the Banff Centre (Evolution Classical) and Toronto’s Glenn Gould School. Dinuk also served as Music Director of the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra for 13 seasons. He is also the recipient of the Canada Council Jean-Marie Beaudet award for orchestral conducting, the NS Established Artist Award and the Sema Jazz Improvisation Prize, among many others. His music and collaborative work embrace the great diversity of his international background and influences.

Website: https://www.dinukwijeratne.com/