prismatic artsfestival 2017
Dinuk Wijeratne
10
Sri Lankan-born Dinuk Wijeratne is a JUNO, SOCAN, and EMCA-winning composer, conductor and pianist. Described as ‘exuberantly creative’ by the New York Times, 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. Dinuk has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Opera Bastille, Teatro Colón, and across Sri Lanka, Japan, the UK, and the Middle East. Dinuk was recently featured as a main character in ‘What would Beethoven do?’ - the recent documentary about innovation in Classical music featuring Eric Whitacre, Bobby McFerrin and Ben Zander. Dinuk grew up in Dubai and took up initial composition studies at the Royal Northern College of Music (UK), later studying with Oscar-winning composer John Corigliano at the Juilliard School.
Joining him on stage at Prismatic is bassist, composer, and educator Tom Easley. Tom has earned a reputation as one of Eastern Canada’s finest jazz bassists. Over the past 25 years, Tom has performed with a number of internationally recognized artists including Mike Murley, Juan Martin, Ed Thigpen, Jeff Hamilton, John Abercrombie and much more. Tom is originally from Fredericton, New Brunswick with a degree from St. Francis Xavier University with a B.A. Honours in Jazz Performance. Currently, he is a faculty member at the Nova Scotia Community College’s Music Arts Program and part time faculty for the St. FX Jazz Degree Program. Nick Halley - a drummer/percussionist, keyboardist, composer and conductor - is the last piece of the trio at Prismatic 2017. Nick has performed and recorded internationally with a wide range of musicians including American icon James Taylor, the late and truly great Oscar Castro-Neves, Maucha Adnet, Dinuk Wijeratne and much more. Nick is the founder and Artistic Director of the Capella Regalis Men and Boys Choir in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is the founder and Director of The King’s Chorus, a choir for members of the King’s and Dalhousie University communities in Halifax. Nick was the Host of CBC’s Choral Concert for the 2013-14 season.
SEPT 18TH | 7PM | HALIFAX CENTRAL LIBRARY - PAUL O’REGAN HALL | TICKETED
