Dinuk Wijeratne/ˈdɪnʊkˌwɪdʒəˈrʌtnə/[1] (born 1978) is a conductor,[2]composer and pianist, living and working in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His work Two Pop Songs on Antique Poems[3] won both the 2016 Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year[4] and the 2016 East Coast Music Award for Classical Composition of the Year.[5][6] His boundary-crossing musical collaborations include ground-breaking combinations of symphony orchestra and tabla,[7][8] and string quartet and DJ.[9]
Wijeratne made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2004 as a conductor, composer and pianist, performing with Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. He became the music director for the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra in 2006, and held a 3-year appointment as Conductor-in-Residence with Symphony Nova Scotia.[12]
In 2013 Wijeratne conducted the Elizabeth Bishop Players as they recorded music accompanying soprano Suzie LeBlanc for the album I Am in Need of Music.[13]
In 2016 Wijeratne's composition "Two Pop Songs on Antique Poems", from the Afriara Quartet's album Spin Cycle, won a Juno Award as Classical Composition of the Year.[11]
He was commissioned by the Calgary Philharmonic to compose "First Winter", a movement for its 2017 True North: Symphonic Ballet.[14][15] The piece combines the work of five composers, and was premiered at the True North Festival in celebration of Canada's 150th birthday.[16] "First Winter" was also performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the 21C Festival in 2019.