'An unthinkable loss': Vancouver Symphony Orchestra mourns death of longtime music director

Bramwell Tovey, left shakes hands with then-Governor General David Johnston as he was invested as officer to the Order of Canada at a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Friday November 21, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

Maestro Bramwell Tovey, the longest-serving music director in the history of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, has died.

Tovey held the position from 2000 to 2018, when he was named the VSO's music director emeritus, the orchestra said in a statement mourning his death.

"Under his visionary leadership, the VSO won Grammy and Juno awards, and embarked on ambitious tours of China, Korea, the United States, and Canada," the orchestra's statement reads.

"His commitment to music education led to the establishment of the VSO School of Music, now in its 12th year, and The Tovey Centre for Music. This legacy continues to impact thousands of students every year, nurturing musical appreciation and generations of emerging artists."

Born in East London, U.K., Tovey most recently served as the principal conductor and artistic director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.

He died Tuesday at his home in Barrington, R.I., surrounded by family, one day after his 69th birthday.

Tovey was diagnosed with a form of sarcoma in May 2019 and underwent surgery at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in June 2021 that briefly left him cancer-free, according to the VSO's statement. The cancer returned in January.

“The world has lost an incredible musician, Maestro, educator, activist and giant of a human being," said Angela Elster, president and CEO of the VSO and the VSO School of Music, in the statement.

“Bramwell Tovey’s legacy as music director of the VSO changed the landscape of music, arts and culture in British Columbia."

The VSO said it has established the Bramwell Tovey Memorial Fund to continue his important work, and invited donations in his honour on its website or by phone at 604-876-3434. https://vancouversymphony.ca/bramwell.

The orchestra said it will announce further plans to honour Tovey's legacy in the future.

"His passing is an unthinkable loss to our sector, to the VSO and VSO School of Music, and to all whose lives he touched so deeply,” Elster said.

With files from The Associated Press.