Bramwell Tovey

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Mario Bernardi (left), and Bramwell Tovey (right) in 2005
Mario Bernardi (left), and Bramwell Tovey (right) in 2005

Bramwell Tovey (born 11 July 1953) is an English-born conductor and composer. His musical roots are in The Salvation Army. He was educated at Ilford County High School, the Royal Academy of Music and the University of London. His formal music education was as a pianist and composer. Whilst a student at the Royal Academy of Music, he also became a tuba player, studying with John Fletcher.

Between 1989 and 2001, Tovey was the music director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. He was instrumental in establishing the city's annual New Music Festival, which began in 1992. He has been the music director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra since September 2000, and his current contract is through 2010.[1] In Europe, he was music director of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra from 2002 to 2006.[2] Tovey was appointed Artistic Director of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and conducted his first course in April 2006.

Tovey has also become known as a composer. His compositions include a Cello Concerto (premiered in Winnipeg in January 2001), and a work for a large choir and brass band, 'Requiem for a Charred Skull'[3], which in 2003 was awarded a Juno for Classical Composition of the Year. Tovey also composed the film score, recorded by the VSO, for Richard Bell's film Eighteen. He was nominated for a Genie Award (Canada's Academy Award), in tandem with Bell, for a song in the film called "In a Heartbeat", which was performed by Thea Gill. On commission from the 2005 British Open Brass Band Championship, Tovey composed 'The Night to Sing' as the test piece, inspired by the celebrations of VE Day, 1945. In 2007, Calgary Opera commissioned a new opera from Tovey, currently titled The Inventor.[3]

Tovey has conducted the "Summertime Classics" series of concerts with the New York Philharmonic since the inception of the series in the summer of 2004, after his 2001 subscription debut with the orchestra.[4] [5] In March 2008, Tovey was named the next principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Hollywood Bowl summer concerts.[6] He has been involved as well with a number of television programs related to music and with a number of youth ensembles and concerts. He has been the recipient of two honorary doctorates and many awards.

Bramwell Tovey also has a long standing affiliation with the Fodens Brass Band.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "In Brief: Vancouver Symphony re-signs music director", CBC (on-line), 20 December 2004. Retrieved on 2007-12-13. 
  2. ^ Ben Mattison. "Conductor Bramwell Tovey Extends Vancouver Symphony Tenure, Steps Down From Luxembourg Post", Playbill Arts, 20 December 2004. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. 
  3. ^ a b Vivien Schweitzer. "Conductor Bramwell Tovey to Write Opera", Playbill Arts, 25 May 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. 
  4. ^ Lawrence van Gelder. "Arts, Briefly", New York Times, 8 April 2004. Retrieved on 2007-12-13. 
  5. ^ Peter W. Goodman. "Philharmonic Summer: The Ins and Outs", Playbill Arts, 3 July 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. 
  6. ^ Yvonne Zacharias. "VSO conductor Tovey works double time in L.A.", Vancouver Sun, 18 March 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-19. 

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Kazuhiro Koizumi		 Music Director, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
1989–2001		 Succeeded by
Andrey Boreyko
Preceded by
Sergiu Comissiona		 Music Director, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
2000–		 Succeeded by
incumbent
Preceded by
David Shallon		 Music Director, Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra
2002–2006		 Succeeded by
Emmanuel Krivine