"One of the most versatile and charismatic musicians in the world, Bramwell Tovey is a Grammy Award-winning conductor and a renowned composer."

"He is the very model of a modern orchestral maestro... Not only is he a supremely gifted conductor and music director, a much published composer, a pianist (classical and jazz) and a dreamer of big projects, he is also the bearer of a fantastic sense of humour."

"Tovey then took on a masterwork of musical humor, Richard Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks," leading the audience by the hand through the piece at the piano from beginning to end. He is a more mischievous teacher than, say, Leonard Bernstein was but just as illuminating..."

"Some of the best performances of Bernstein I've ever heard (conducted by the composer himself, Michael Tilson Thomas and Dudamel) have been by this orchestra in this amphitheater. Tovey, on Thursday night, joined that select company."

"I loved Tovey's conception of the Mahler - the breadth of the plush, main melody, the transitions into the lighter sections, the sparkle of the mocking interludes. This music spends time lavishly, but it was time well spent on Saturday."

"Tovey is an unabashed intellectual. He dangles names of composers and philosophers throughout his discussion of polytonal musical construction. But he's also irrepressibly funny."