|
BIOGRAPHY
KRISTINE DIZONKristine Dizon is a clarinetist, conductor, teacher, writer, linguist, and entrepreneur. She currently serves as a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at Concordia University in Montréal and as the Carlos Miguel Conducting Fellow at OAcademy. She is the founder of TMAP Productions, a record label dedicated to promoting musicians from underrepresented backgrounds, and the Music & Language Learning Center, an educational platform offering online instruction for K–12 students and adults. She also co-founded the Gran Canaria International Clarinet Festival and the American Single Reed Summit.
Kristine has performed and taught across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Her teaching appointments include the Philharmonie de Paris – Projet DEMOS, the Orchestre à l’École program at the Conservatoire de Montargis, and the Minnesota Project Opera. As visiting faculty at the University of Saint Joseph in Macau, China, she taught courses in sound production. She has premiered works by Nino Díaz, Agnieszka Zdrojek-Suchodolska, Nicolas Bacri, Kryštof Mařatka, and Reinaldo Moya. |
She has led masterclasses at institutions such as the Fundación Sinfonía Concertante de Panamá, Komitas State University of Yerevan, Akademia Muzyczna Im Krzysztofa Pendereckiego w Krakowie, Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, Paphos Conservatory of Music, and the VI Taller para Jóvenes Clarinetistas organized by Clariperu, where she also directed the clarinet choir. She has served on international juries including the Witold Friemann International Clarinet Competition, Silverstein Global Clarinet Contest, International Clarinet Competition ‘Guy Deplus’, Opus International Music Competition, and the V Concurso de Bandas Escolares, where she also held a residency with PeruBandas in Cusco and Lima.
Her debut album, An American in Paris, recorded with concert pianist Dr. Lindsay Garritson, earned the Gold Prize from the World Classical Music Awards, was named a National Finalist for The American Prize, and a Semi-finalist for the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award. Critics praised her “shimmering technique,” “refined sound,” and “interpretative dexterity,” noting her ability to “weave together contrasting musical ideas” with vitality and elegance. One reviewer highlighted her “cheerful performance,” “stylish flair,” and her sensitivity in interpreting both lyrical and jazz idioms, calling the album “a delightful escape into timeless beauty and artistic expression.” Read full review
Her second album, Two of a Kind, a clarinet duo project with Radovan Cavallin, features contemporary compositions for two clarinets and was also named a National Finalist for The American Prize in Chamber Music. The album was praised for its “clarity and expression,” and the duo’s “fluid musical dialogue and dynamic character.” Critics noted how her performance brought excitement and cohesion across diverse repertoire, from lyrical works to humorous and technically demanding showpieces. Read full review
As a conductor, Kristine has led the Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, Brixton Wind Ensemble, Ensemble Cambrica, and served as guest conductor with the La Palma Chamber Orchestra and Orquesta Sinfónica de Las Palmas. She also served as Assistant Conductor with the Minnesota Project Opera, premiering Reinaldo Moya’s Memory Boy, and with the Minnesota Youth Symphonies. She has participated in numerous conducting workshops including the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra (Douglas Bostock), Cardiff International Academy of Conducting (Colin Metters), Juilliard Conducting Courses Online (Mark Shapiro), the Memphis Sinfonietta Conducting Workshop, Cortona New Music Conductor’s Summit, and the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras (Maestro Robert Houlihan).
Kristine’s scholarly writing has been published in the Journal of Science & Technology of the Arts, European Journal of American Studies, Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, and The Clarinet. Her contributions include co-authoring The Film Sound Analysis Framework with Álvaro Barbosa, an interview with composer Nicolas Bacri, and her article Croatian Clarinet Concertos: The Cultivation of Traditions after 1952, which was published in Clarinet & Saxophone after selection for the International Clarinet Association Research Competition in Orlando. She was a finalist for the ICA Research Competition in 2014, 2017, and 2021, and a finalist for the European Clarinet Congress Research Competition in 2023. In 2024, she won Second Prize for her paper Gender and Power Dynamics in Quebec and French Female Clarinet Compositions presented in Ireland.
Kristine holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), a Certificate in Advanced Studies in Contemporary Conducting from the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana under the tutelage of Arturo Tamayo, and a Graduate Executive Certificate in social entrepreneurship and cultural agency from the Global Leaders Institute. She also holds advanced certificates from Berklee College of Music, the Conservatoire de Versailles (Prix de Perfectionnement), and the École Normale de Musique de Paris (Diplôme de Direction d'Orchestre). She earned her Master’s degree in Clarinet Performance from Southern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in European History and Music.
She performs on Silverstein Works Ligatures, D’Addario Evolution Reeds, and Gleichweit Mouthpieces.
Her debut album, An American in Paris, recorded with concert pianist Dr. Lindsay Garritson, earned the Gold Prize from the World Classical Music Awards, was named a National Finalist for The American Prize, and a Semi-finalist for the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award. Critics praised her “shimmering technique,” “refined sound,” and “interpretative dexterity,” noting her ability to “weave together contrasting musical ideas” with vitality and elegance. One reviewer highlighted her “cheerful performance,” “stylish flair,” and her sensitivity in interpreting both lyrical and jazz idioms, calling the album “a delightful escape into timeless beauty and artistic expression.” Read full review
Her second album, Two of a Kind, a clarinet duo project with Radovan Cavallin, features contemporary compositions for two clarinets and was also named a National Finalist for The American Prize in Chamber Music. The album was praised for its “clarity and expression,” and the duo’s “fluid musical dialogue and dynamic character.” Critics noted how her performance brought excitement and cohesion across diverse repertoire, from lyrical works to humorous and technically demanding showpieces. Read full review
As a conductor, Kristine has led the Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, Brixton Wind Ensemble, Ensemble Cambrica, and served as guest conductor with the La Palma Chamber Orchestra and Orquesta Sinfónica de Las Palmas. She also served as Assistant Conductor with the Minnesota Project Opera, premiering Reinaldo Moya’s Memory Boy, and with the Minnesota Youth Symphonies. She has participated in numerous conducting workshops including the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra (Douglas Bostock), Cardiff International Academy of Conducting (Colin Metters), Juilliard Conducting Courses Online (Mark Shapiro), the Memphis Sinfonietta Conducting Workshop, Cortona New Music Conductor’s Summit, and the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras (Maestro Robert Houlihan).
Kristine’s scholarly writing has been published in the Journal of Science & Technology of the Arts, European Journal of American Studies, Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, and The Clarinet. Her contributions include co-authoring The Film Sound Analysis Framework with Álvaro Barbosa, an interview with composer Nicolas Bacri, and her article Croatian Clarinet Concertos: The Cultivation of Traditions after 1952, which was published in Clarinet & Saxophone after selection for the International Clarinet Association Research Competition in Orlando. She was a finalist for the ICA Research Competition in 2014, 2017, and 2021, and a finalist for the European Clarinet Congress Research Competition in 2023. In 2024, she won Second Prize for her paper Gender and Power Dynamics in Quebec and French Female Clarinet Compositions presented in Ireland.
Kristine holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), a Certificate in Advanced Studies in Contemporary Conducting from the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana under the tutelage of Arturo Tamayo, and a Graduate Executive Certificate in social entrepreneurship and cultural agency from the Global Leaders Institute. She also holds advanced certificates from Berklee College of Music, the Conservatoire de Versailles (Prix de Perfectionnement), and the École Normale de Musique de Paris (Diplôme de Direction d'Orchestre). She earned her Master’s degree in Clarinet Performance from Southern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in European History and Music.
She performs on Silverstein Works Ligatures, D’Addario Evolution Reeds, and Gleichweit Mouthpieces.