After a decades-long career spanning the roles of performer, educator and conductor, Bramwell Tovey passed away in Rhode Island on 12 July, one day after his 69th birthday. Particularly known for his influence in North America, Tovey led some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, all while remaining a champion for the next generation of musical performers and composers.

Bramwell Tovey. Photo supplied

From humble beginnings playing tuba in Salvation Army bands in East London, Tovey attended London’s Royal Academy of Music, developing as a pianist, composer and a conductor. He was famously described as a “hero” by Leonard Bernstein, whose attention Tovey caught when he stepped in at the last minute to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra in a 1986 performance at which Bernstein was an audience member. Soon after, Tovey stepped into one of his most influential roles as Music Director (and eventually Conductor Laureate) of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in 1989.

In this new position, Tovey established the Winnipeg New Music Festival in 1992, an ambitious and unique undertaking that saw him lead over 200 contemporary works by such prominent composers as John Corigliano, Arvo Pärt, Louis Andriessen...