Tempo: a Quarterly Review of New Music
“Kelly Lovelady conducted with masterful sensitivity throughout … her carefully considered programming makes abundant conceptual sense … It was one of the most remarkable musical experiences of my year.”
Seen and Heard International
“A proficient, no-nonsense conductor, with excellent baton technique and a clear commitment to giving every cue in the score … her ability to stay in control of these complex works was always impressive.”
Night After Night
“[Saviet is] accompanied with muscular elegance by the brilliantly named, London-based, Australasian activist chamber orchestra Ruthless Jabiru and conductor Kelly Lovelady—who sustain a fever-pitch intensity throughout this gripping album … a knockdown debut.”
Mark Aspen Reviews
“Conductor Kelly Lovelady’s witty [Der Vampyr] arrangement for small band included whistles and sousaphone and was an imaginative delight.”
i care if you listen
“Lovelady kept the collective ensemble tight, and the five-strong double bass section came into its own. The literally vibrant experience of being so close to massed basses will stay with me for a long time … an imaginative, powerful programme.”
planet hugill
“Driving, repetitive rhythms were pushed hard, with a strong sense of urgency imparted by director Kelly Lovelady. There was something relentless and unaccommodating about this performance … as if the audience were uninvited guests at a private ritual.”
The Guardian
“Conductor Kelly Lovelady, heroically dynamic, has arranged Marschner’s orchestral score [Der Vampyr] for just four musicians … the ensemble imaginatively captures the dark timbre of Marschner’s original.”
Opera Magazine
“[Mintzer and Lovelady] rip it open and extract the fun, keeping the corpse of Marschner’s score quivering yet alive.”
Everything Theatre
““Musically, Der Vampyr is a treat. The orchestra, under Lovelady’s direction, deftly navigates Marschner’s score in her new arrangement … a tour de force of vocal and orchestral power that had the audience on the edge of their seats.”
Limelight Magazine
“The lively and innovative Australian conductor Kelly Lovelady held a diverse evening together with her wide-ranging musical skills … not least her ability to fine-tune an orchestra like a well-trained piano accompanist, following her soloists with great skill and offering support at every turn.”
Musical Pointers
“The most enjoyable concert of our sampling of the City of London Festival has been one of American and Australian music by [Ruthless Jabiru,] a new orchestra of Australian Londoners … The group which debuted last night was welded into a real entity by its founder conductor Kelly Lovelady, one of two bright stars of the night. She led the music sensitively with good ensemble and a feeling that everyone was listening to each other. Her rapport with her players and with soloist Emma Pearson was a delight.”
Australian Stage
“Kelly Lovelady is both a cultural ambassador for Australia and a campaigner for recognition for Australian artists abroad … Ruthless Jabiru is a brilliant company.”
The Australian Times
“The skill and professionalism of [Ruthless Jabiru], and of its founder and principal conductor Kelly Lovelady, was clearly evident throughout … a remarkable and moving performance.”
