The Red Violin film concert^2024-2025

Regularly invited to conduct orchestras in Canada and internationally, Dina Gilbert is recognized for her communicative energy, her podium presence, and the expressiveness of her interpretations. She is currently Associate Conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Music Director of the Walla Walla Symphony (United States), and Principal Conductor of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, with whom she has performed on tour in the United States, South America, and Europe.

In recent years, she has conducted several of Canada’s leading orchestras, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orchestre symphonique de Québec. In Europe, she has notably been invited by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Orchestres nationaux de Lyon, de Metz et des Pays de la Loire, the Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comté, the Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu, and Sinfonia Varsovia.

Her eclectic repertoire spans major works from the symphonic canon, contemporary creation, multidisciplinary projects, and innovative programs. Deeply committed to cultural mediation, she has reached thousands of children across Canada through her participatory workshops Conducting 101.

The 2025–2026 season was marked by a tour with the Orchestre national d’Île-de-France and trumpeter Pacho Flores, culminating in a concert at the Philharmonie de Paris; by conducting ten performances of Don Quixote (Martinez/Minkus) with the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine; and by the release of two symphonic albums with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.

Highlights of the 2026–2027 season include several concerts with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, where she will notably share the stage with pianist Alexandre Tharaud, producer and DJ Apashe, and the musicians of Le Vent du Nord. She will also make her debut with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and the Vancouver Island Symphony, in addition to collaborating on a Théâtre Duceppe production.

Dina Gilbert holds a doctorate from the Université de Montréal and trained under the mentorship of Maestro Kent Nagano and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, while assisting internationally renowned conductors Zubin Mehta and Sir Roger Norrington. Recipient of the Prix Opus “Discovery of the Year” in 2017, she has also received support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Fondation Père-Lindsay.

Canadian-born violinist Lara St John is described as “something of a phenomenon” by The Strad and as a “high-powered soloist” by The New York Times. She has performed as a soloist with major symphony orchestras around the world and given recitals in concert halls from New York and Lima to Berlin and Beijing. Her recording Mozart won a JUNO Award in 2011, and in 2014 her album Schubert was chosen as one of “the best CDs of spring” by Der Tagesspiegel. She began playing the violin at the age of 2, first appearing as a soloist with orchestra at 4, making her European debut at 10, and entering the Curtis Institute at 13. In 2021 Lara St John was invested with the Order of Canada for service to society and innovations that “ignite our imaginations.” She owns and performs on the 1779 “ex-Salabue” Guadagnini