Dina Gilbert

Regularly invited to conduct in Canada and internationally, conductor Dina Gilbert attracts critical acclaim for her energy, her precision and versatility. Known for her contagious dynamism and her audacious programming, she is currently the Music Director and Conductor of the Walla Walla Symphony, the Principal Conductor of the Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and the Associate Conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.

Dina Gilbert is passionate about communicating with audiences of all ages to broadening their appreciation of orchestral music through innovative collaborations. This commitment, as well as Dina Gilbert’s extensive knowledge of repertoire has shaped her career and the orchestras she has worked with.

Dina has conducted leading Canadian orchestras such as Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Orchestre métropolitain, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Hamilton Philharmonic and the Orchestre symphonique de Québec. She is frequently invited to conduct in France and also has conducted orchestras in the United States, Colombia, Spain and the Sinfonia Varsovia for a series of concerts in Japan.

Recent engagements included debuts with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Orchestre national des Pays de la Loire, a tour with the Orchestre national de Metz as well as several concerts with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the Orchestre symphonique de Québec. Over the past seasons, as the Principal Conductor of the Orchestre des Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, she participated in tours in the US, in Colombia and in Spain, and has premiered several ballets from Peter Quanz (La Dame aux Camélias : music by Weber, Lili Boulanger, Louise Farrenc and Kaija Saariaho), Étienne Béchard (Carmen Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite), Garrett Smith (Danser Beethoven), Jayne Smeulders (Prokofiev’s Cinderella) and Edward Clug (Orff’s Carmina Burana), in addition to the Grands Ballets repertoire of the company.

Her innate curiosity towards non-classical musical genres and willingness to democratize classical music has sparked collaborations with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Orchestre national de Lyon in several Hip Hop Symphonic programs featuring renowned artists IAM, MC Solaar, Youssoupha, Arsenik and Bigflo & Oli. She has also conducted the world premiere of the film The Red Violin with orchestra at the Festival de Lanaudière and has conducted the North American premiere of film The Artist with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.

From 2017 to 2025, she made her mark as Music Director of the Kamloops Symphony through bold programming that highlighted numerous Canadian and Indigenous composers, compelling performances, and audience development rooted in strong connections with the communities of Kamloops and Salmon Arm.

From 2013 to 2016, Dina Gilbert was the assistant conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal and Maestro Kent Nagano, also assisting notable guest conductors including Zubin Mehta and Sir Roger Norrington. In April 2016, she received great acclaim for stepping in to replace Maestro Alain Altinoglu with the OSM in a program showcasing Gustav Holst's The Planets.

As the founder and artistic director of the Ensemble Arkea, a Montreal-based chamber orchestra, Dina premiered over thirty works from emerging Canadian composers from 2011 to 2017. Committed to music education, she has reached thousands of children with her interactive and participative Conducting 101 workshops across Canada.

Featured in the recent documentary “Femmes symphoniques”, Dina Gilbert earned her doctorate from the Université de Montréal, where she studied with Jean-François Rivest and Paolo Bellomia and she polished her skills in masterclasses with Kenneth Kiesler, Pinchas Zukerman, Neeme Järvi and the musicians from the Kritische Orchester in Berlin. Awarded the Opus Prize of "Découverte de l'année" in 2017, Dina Gilbert also was one of the 50 personalities creating the extraordinary in Québec in 2018 by the Urbania Magazine. She has also received support from the Canada Arts Council, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and from the Père-Lindsay Foundation.

Dina Gilbert is represented by Halac Artists in Spain, Portugal and Latin Ameria in collaboration with her world manager KAJIMOTO.