Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announces celebration of life for Bramwell Tovey, January 15

The afternoon concert features Christopher Gaze, Tania Miller, James Ehnes, and Tracy Dahl

Former VSO conductor Bramwell Tovey died on July 12 after a battle with cancer.

 
 

FRIENDS AND MUSICIANS will join the VSO for a special concert to celebrate the life, music, and legacy of Maestro Bramwell Tovey, January 15 at 2 pm at the Orpheum.

Tovey’s close friend Christopher Gaze and conductor Tania Miller will host the concert, which features musical tributes from guest artists: soprano Tracy Dahl and violin star James Ehnes. The VSO has announced that the afternoon event will be filled with memories, stories, and music by some of the Tovey’s favourite composers, including Beethoven, Elgar, Mahler, Vaughan Williams, and more.

The celebrated and charismatic conductor and composer passed away on July 12 in Barrington, Rhode Island at 69. Tovey is survived by his children Ben, Jessica and Emmeline, his partner Verena De Neovel, his sisters, grandchildren, nieces and nephew.

Diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma in May 2019, Tovey underwent surgery at Dana Farber in Boston in June 2021 that left him briefly cancer free. In January 2022, scans showed the cancer had returned.

Tovey was musical director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for 18 years, stepping down from the position in 2018. In that time, he helped launch the VSO’s School of Music, which opened in 2011, and oversaw the opening of two attractive chamber-music spaces, Pyatt Hall and the Annex.

In 2017, as the VSO’s outgoing music director, he was named director of orchestral activities for the prestigious Boston University School of Music. Tovey was the Principal Conductor of the B.B.C. Concert Orchestra, based in London, U.K., and since September 2018 he had also been artistic advisor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic. Prior to his death, Tania Miller was named the philharmonic's interim principal conductor. The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2022-23 season has been dedicated to Tovey's memory.

Donations are being collected in memoriam of Tovey to continue the work he established and grew at the VSO and the VSO School of Music.

Gifts made to the Bramwell Tovey Memorial Fund benefit the VSO and VSO School of Music’s education and community engagement programs.  

 
 
 
 
 

Related Articles

Articles
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announces first European tour in April
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announces first European tour in April

Stops include a three-night residency at Austria’s Salzburg Easter Festival, as well as Croatia, Slovenia, Liechtenstein, and Germany

Rising German piano star Julius Asal makes his Canadian debut with the Vancouver Recital Society, February 8
Rising German piano star Julius Asal makes his Canadian debut with the Vancouver Recital Society, February 8

Among the 28-year-old’s recent achievements is winning the Terence Judd-Hallé Award for young pianists on the cusp of international fame

Cosí fan tutte gets a vintage-Canadian refresh under director Robert Herriot at Vancouver Opera
Cosí fan tutte gets a vintage-Canadian refresh under director Robert Herriot at Vancouver Opera

The Winnipeg artist brings experience as a tenor to a Mozart opera reimagined in a 1930s Rockies resort, complete with Mounties and log drivers

Shadbolt Centre hosts Burnaby Lyric Opera’s The Barber of Seville this February
Shadbolt Centre hosts Burnaby Lyric Opera’s The Barber of Seville this February

Romance, deception, and mistaken identities abound in Gioachino Rossini’s beloved comic masterpiece

Theatre review: You’re Just a Place That I Know is a moving musical reflection on family and memory
Theatre review: You’re Just a Place That I Know is a moving musical reflection on family and memory

Based on Adrian Glynn McMorran’s album of the same name, the show at the Arts Club’s BMO Theatre Centre is more than just a concert

Cellist Henry Shapard plays Prokofiev with the VSO at Beethoven’s Eroica, February 20 to 22
Cellist Henry Shapard plays Prokofiev with the VSO at Beethoven’s Eroica, February 20 to 22

Han-Na Chang conducts Beethoven’s revolutionary Third Symphony

Corey Payette spotlights songs from his acclaimed musicals at Closest Thing to Home, January 28
Corey Payette spotlights songs from his acclaimed musicals at Closest Thing to Home, January 28

The renowned theatre artist and composer offers a stirring collection of tunes from acclaimed shows such as Children of God and Starwalker

Ghanaian music scholar Kofi Gbolonyo leads upbeat Celebrate Africa! event at BlueShore at CapU, January 30
Ghanaian music scholar Kofi Gbolonyo leads upbeat Celebrate Africa! event at BlueShore at CapU, January 30

Long-time UBC and CapU faculty member puts on a show featuring dozens of local musicians, plus vocalists Dawn Pemberton and Khari McClelland

Collaboration opens new sonic horizons for jazz guitarist Jocelyn Gould
Collaboration opens new sonic horizons for jazz guitarist Jocelyn Gould

The Winnipeg-based artist looks forward to onstage exchanges with diverse musical peers on International Guitar Night

You're the Top! brings the songs of Cole Porter to the Anvil Theatre, February 14
You're the Top! brings the songs of Cole Porter to the Anvil Theatre, February 14

Event hosted by Michael van den Bos features Hollywood film projections and live music by the Laura Crema Sextet

Vancouver New Music hosts Artifacts I: Zero Input Enclosure Movement, February 14
Vancouver New Music hosts Artifacts I: Zero Input Enclosure Movement, February 14

Sonic architecture of Winnipeg’s AO Roberts explores the interplay of performance, installation, and layered auditory experiences

Folk-rooted string quartet the Fretless finds a voice in singer-songwriter Madeleine Roger
Folk-rooted string quartet the Fretless finds a voice in singer-songwriter Madeleine Roger

Collaborating with vocalists taught the acclaimed, formerly all-instrumental group new ways of listening and working

UBC Opera performs Leonard Bernstein’s satirical operetta Candide, February 5 to 8
UBC Opera performs Leonard Bernstein’s satirical operetta Candide, February 5 to 8

Rarely presented in Vancouver, the production blends musical theatre and opera with a philosophically rooted storyline

Ariel Barnes brings nomadic spirit and intense curiosity to classic and contemporary cello works
Ariel Barnes brings nomadic spirit and intense curiosity to classic and contemporary cello works

The adventurous artist sees his upcoming program with Vetta Chamber Music as a way of expressing music’s power to console and cheer, even in dark times

Ralph Moore Quartet headlines sixth edition of Jazz at the Bolt, February 13 to 15
Ralph Moore Quartet headlines sixth edition of Jazz at the Bolt, February 13 to 15

Hosted by the Cellar Music Group at the Shadbolt Centre, festival opens with a special concert by the Vancouver Jazz Orchestra with Champian Fulton and Klas Lindquist

Vancouver Chamber Choir concludes 46th annual Conductors' Symposium with Neighbo(u)rs, February 13
Vancouver Chamber Choir concludes 46th annual Conductors' Symposium with Neighbo(u)rs, February 13

Five emerging conductors lead a program of pieces by both Canadian and American composers, from Amy Beach to Stuart Beatch

You’re Just a Place That I Know retraces a refugee story through song, at the BMO Theatre Centre from January 21 to February 1
You’re Just a Place That I Know retraces a refugee story through song, at the BMO Theatre Centre from January 21 to February 1

Adrian Glynn McMorran’s moving theatre-concert pays tribute to his Ukraine-born grandparents, complete with a choir and traditional instruments

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 shows to startle and spellbind at PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 shows to startle and spellbind at PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

Productions that “push” forms include dance works that play with props and stereotypes, as well as ethereal odes to nature and the northern lights

Violinist Gil Shaham joins the VSO for Brahms & Tchaikovsky 5, February 13 and 14
Violinist Gil Shaham joins the VSO for Brahms & Tchaikovsky 5, February 13 and 14

Musician rises to the challenge of Brahms’s sole Violin Concerto on program that also features guest conductor Han-Na Chang

Vancouver Chamber Choir performs Timothy Takach’s nature-rooted multimedia piece We Are Phoenix, January 24
Vancouver Chamber Choir performs Timothy Takach’s nature-rooted multimedia piece We Are Phoenix, January 24

Under the inspiring title I Fall, I Rise, the concert also features the Focus post-secondary choir and winners of the Young Composers’ Competition

Fierce fiddling to contra dance, as Festival du Bois unveils program for March 6 to 8
Fierce fiddling to contra dance, as Festival du Bois unveils program for March 6 to 8

Aleksi Campagne, Bagatelle, Nicolas Pellerin et les Grands Hurleurs, and the Jocelyn Pettit Band are among offerings at celebration of Maillardville’s francophone roots

Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs presents intimate Valentine's event Behind the Keys, February 13
Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs presents intimate Valentine's event Behind the Keys, February 13

Annual fundraiser features a romantic piano recital by Leslie Dala, along with wine, chocolate, and optional charcuterie

Luna Llena channels Mediterranean melodies at Alliance Française Vancouver, January 17
Luna Llena channels Mediterranean melodies at Alliance Française Vancouver, January 17

Bruno Allary leads the Marseille, France–based Compagnie Rassegna as it plays songs from Sicily, Spain, Western Algeria, and Occitania

Dozens of musicians and dancers take the stage for Celebrate Africa! at BlueShore at CapU, January 30
Dozens of musicians and dancers take the stage for Celebrate Africa! at BlueShore at CapU, January 30

Big bands play West African music with guests Dawn Pemberton, Khari McClelland, and others

Cassie and Maggie bring rousing East Coast rhythms to the West, January 15 to 17
Cassie and Maggie bring rousing East Coast rhythms to the West, January 15 to 17

At the Kay Meek Arts Centre, Nova Scotian siblings blend old Celtic sounds with new influences

Cellist Marina Hasselberg invites 35 listeners into the cozy world of a winter art-gallery concert
Cellist Marina Hasselberg invites 35 listeners into the cozy world of a winter art-gallery concert

The intimate event takes place at VisualSpace Gallery on Dunbar Street, where an exhibition called Seasons is on view

Juno Award–winning singer Tanya Tagaq expands on beloved book with Split Tooth: Saputjiji, February 5
Juno Award–winning singer Tanya Tagaq expands on beloved book with Split Tooth: Saputjiji, February 5

Copresentation by Music on Main, PuSh Festival, and Chan Centre features Inuit throat singers in new performance language

Local guitar builders create unique tributes to the timeless Telecaster
Local guitar builders create unique tributes to the timeless Telecaster

With innovative materials and approaches, Nicole Alosinac, Paul Pigat, and Warren Murfitt retune a classic design that has defined music for decades

Beverly Glenn-Copeland and Elizabeth Copeland share years of magical memories onstage, January 16
Beverly Glenn-Copeland and Elizabeth Copeland share years of magical memories onstage, January 16

At the Chan Centre, the life partners offer songs and stories from their forthcoming album Laughter in Summer

The VSO hosts Nielsen’s triumphant symphony “The Inextinguishable”, January 30 and 31
The VSO hosts Nielsen’s triumphant symphony “The Inextinguishable”, January 30 and 31

Conductor David Robertson and pianist Orli Shaham also join forces for a John Adams piano concerto

NEWS, MUSICJanet SmithVSO, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Civic Theatres, Bramwell Tovey