A Musical Journey from Vienna to the Far North

Conductor Dina Gilbert has received critical acclaim for her energy, presence on the podium, and the breadth of her repertoire. Currently Principal Conductor of the Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal and Music Director of the Kamloops Symphony, she is well known for her dynamic personality and audacious programming.

A frequent guest conductor of leading Canadian orchestras, Dina has also conducted the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the national orchestras of Lyon, Pays de la Loire, and Metz, as well as on tour in Japan with the Sinfonia Varsovia. She has conducted several Hip-Hop Symphonic programs in France featuring renowned artists such as IAM, MC Solaar, and Bigflo & Oli.

Dina has reached thousands of children in Canada with her interactive Conducting 101 workshops and is a musical collaborator on the Radio-Canada program Il restera toujours la culture. Awarded the 2017 Opus Prize for “Discovery of the Year,” Dina Gilbert served as Assistant Conductor of the OSM from 2013 to 2016.

Marianne Dugal played in the first-violin section of the OSM for over a decade before being named Second Associate Concertmaster in 2008. She was also a soloist with the Orchestra, under Charles Dutoit and Kent Nagano. In 2008, she participated in a historic tour of Nunavik with six of her colleagues and Maestro Nagano; she was also on the tour in 2018. She is very active as a chamber player throughout Quebec, Canada and the United States. She studied under Sergiu Schwartz at the Harid Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida, where she won First Prize in the National Society of Arts and Letters’ Violin Competition. Marianne Dugal has the great privilege of playing a violin made by Stradivarius in 1716 with a Sartory bow, both generously on loan from Canimex.

Alain Desgagné received a First Prize from the Conservatoire de musique du Québec before continuing his studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. There, he completed both a master’s degree and a certificate under the renowned clarinetist Robert Marcellus.

He began his professional career in 1989 with the Victoria Symphony, and in 1996, he became principal clarinet of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, he was appointed associate principal clarinet of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, a position he still holds today.

Highly active on the international music scene, Alain has participated in numerous summer music festivals around the world, holding prestigious positions. For 15 years, he was on the faculty of the Marrowstone Music Festival in Washington State. He also served as principal clarinet of the National Orchestra of Italy in 2005, as well as with the New European Chamber Ensemble in Seattle. As a soloist, he has performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.

Currently, he is a faculty member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the PRISMA Festival in British Columbia, in addition to being an Associate Professor at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University.

Mathieu Harel has served as the associate principal bassoon with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 1998. After completing his studies at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, he furthered his training at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia under the mentorship of Bernard Garfield.

Previously, he held positions with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec and the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago. Since 2004, he has been teaching at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. He has also taught at McGill University, Domaine Forget, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

Recognized as one of the finest bassoonists of his generation, Mathieu Harel has performed as a soloist with several orchestras across Canada. His elegant playing and warm personality make him a sought-after chamber musician.

Principal trumpet with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 1995, he has been featured frequently with the OSM, including tours to South America and at the Lincoln Center in New York.Paul has been featured with orchestras worldwide, including English Chamber Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Venice Baroque Orchestra and Eastman Wind Ensemble. Merkelo’s first solo recording, A Simple Song was ranked #1 in Quebec’s classical recording chart in 2000. In 2004, Analekta released a highly praised second CD, Baroque Transcriptions, which was nominated by ADISQ for Best Classical Album of the Year. French Trumpet Concertos with OSM and Kent Nagano was nominated by the JUNO Awards in 2016. He is the founder of the Paul Merkelo Scholarship.

James Box caught the music bug watching military bands in his childhood. His grandfather, who conducted a brass band, was his first teacher. At the age of 15, James joined the Memphis Youth Symphony and went on to study at the Southern Methodist University and the Cleveland Institute of Music with Marta Hofacre, John Kitzman, James DeSano, and Steve Witser. His first concert with the OSM comprised a performance of Ravel’s Bolero, in which he held down the famous trombone solo part. In addition to his performance career, James Box teaches trombone at McGill University.

A native of Montreal, Serge Desgagnés has held the Principal Percussion chair of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 1997, having collaborated with the OSM as early as 1982. A first prize winner in percussion and solfeggio at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, he also studied in New York with marimba master Leigh Howard Stevens. He initially performed with different ensembles in the Montreal area, including the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, with whom he appeared as soloist, as well as several chamber music groups. Before joining the OSM, he occupied the Principal Percussion position with the Orchestre Métropolitain. He has also taught percussion at the Faculté de Musique de l’Université de Montréal.