Dina Gilbert Named Assistant Conductor of the OSM

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal has announced the appointment of Dina Gilbert as the Assistant Conductor of the Orchestra. Ms. Gilbert will begin her contract in September, at the start of the 2013-2014 season. She was chosen following a selection process that evaluated 36 candidates from various regions across Canada.

Description of Dina Gilbert's mandate
For several years, the OSM has been offering up-and-coming conductors the opportunity to broaden their orchestral conducting experience as an assistant conductor or a conductor in residence. Concurrent with the position of Conductor in Residence occupied by Nathan Brock in 2013-2014, Dina Gilbert will hold the position of Assistant Conductor for the 2013-2014 season, with the possibility of renewal for the 2014-2015 season.

Dina Gilbert's tasks will mainly include attending all the season concerts, rehearsals, and recording sessions conducted by the Music Director, Kent Nagano, as well as some concerts and rehearsals led by guest conductors. In addition, she will participate in the Orchestra's educational mission by, for example, proposing and developing musical concert programs (Children's Corner and Youth Concerts series), attending album recording sessions, and taking part in community outreach activities.

Biography of Dina Gilbert
Born in the Beauce region, Ms. Dina Gilbert is the founder and Artistic Director of the Ensemble Arkea, a Montreal-based chamber orchestra composed of promising young musicians. She holds a bachelor's degree in Clarinet and a master's degree in Conducting. In September 2011, she completed her doctorate studies under the supervision of Jean-François Rivest at the Université de Montréal.

In recent years, Dina Gilbert has conducted the Orchestre de l'Université de Montréal, the Mihail Jora Philharmonia (Romania), the Estonian National Youth Orchestra, and the Parnu City Orchestra (Estonia). She has also participated in several advanced master classes in Canada, the United States, and Europe, with such distinguished conductors as Lorraine Vaillancourt, Kenneth Kiesler, Leonid Grin, Peter Eötvös, Johannes Schlaefli, Pinchas Zukerman, and Neeme Järvi.

In the winter of 2012, Dina Gilbert was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra and the Kawartha Youth Orchestra.
Dina Gilbert has received grants from the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture (FQRSC) for her doctoral studies and from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) to participate in the Tenth Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition in Spain.