Bramwell Tovey
(c) VSO
The association Orchestras Canada is granting outgoing Vancouver Symphony Orchestra music director Bramwell Tovey with the 2018 Betty Webster Award. The 64 year-old British conductor will receive the award at the VSO’s outdoor concert tomorrow evening.
In the award press statement, jury chair Matthew Jones said: « The jury was particularly inspired by the impact Bramwell Tovey has had on the cultural landscape of British Columbia, Manitoba and, indeed, all of Canada. It is an honour for us to be able to recognize Maestro Tovey’s commitment to excellence, leadership on and off the podium, advocacy on behalf of music and musicians, volunteerism, and sustained commitment to music education at the VSO School of Music and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute at Whistler.”
Tovey is ending his tenure at the VSO after leading it since 2000. Tovey also served as the artistic advisor to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute at Whistler and was a driving force behind the 2011 opening of the VSO School of Music which has now been named the Tovey Centre for Music, encompassing both the VSO School of Music and the educational programs and activities of the VSO.
Tovey now serves as director of orchestral and conducting studies at Boston University, and is the principal conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra.
