​

​

​

"Chineke! Orchestra, founded in 2015, is the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of majority Black, Asian and ethnically diverse musicians. Kalena Bovell, assistant conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, was a communicative leader in this concert, with clear baton technique and visual expressiveness with the players."

​

- Bachtrack

​

​

​

“Going through that experience has made me stronger and has made me more resilient to everything I have endured.

​

-Sandi Klein's Conversations with Creative Women

​

​

​

"People Can't be what they can't see. Representation Matters."

​

-Trilloquy Podcast

​

​

​

​"I want to be able to experience it all," she says, "which has been the greatest thing about this job. It's so much music I never was able to be exposed to as a kid."

​

  -Memphis Flyer

​

​

​

"What I’m doing, beyond conducting music, is bringing visibility.

It’s showing others who look like me that they too can do what I do; it’s bringing the possibilities that didn’t seem reachable before, to the surface."

 

-Chapman University Newsroom

​

​

​

"The Memphis symphony Orchestra announces new Assistant Conductor, Kalena Bovell."

 

-Memphis Symphony Orchestra

​

​

​

"One of the brightest stars in the world of classical music will lead the New Britain Symphony. A woman whose incredible skills and unique background allow her to inspire people one note at a time.Kalena Bovell may not look a typical conductor but just listen and you’ll learn quickly she is one of the rising stars in the world of classical music"

​

-WFSB

​

​

​

"The concert’s highlight was this season’s Assistant Conductor Kalena Bovell leading the orchestra in two of Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dances.” Casting no doubt that she was in full command, the young black woman conducted with innate confidence and charisma."

 

-Picture This Post

​

​

​

"Guest Conductor Kalena Bovell, 2016-2017 Chicago Sinfonietta Assistant Conductor made her debut, leading the Orchestra in selections from “Slavonic Dances”, Opus 46, No. 2 and Opus 72, No. 7 by Antonin Dvorak, 1878 and 1886. The pieces are lively, memorable and based firmly in characteristic national folk dances. Bovell did a wonderful job conducting this winning group; she kept a firm hand on the beat, using consistent gestures and in obvious mastery of the material." 

 

-Splash Magazine

​

​

​

"Kalena Bovell leading the ensemble in two of Anton Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances from Opus 46 and 72. The 2016-2017 Chicago Sinfonietta Assistant Conductor powered the concert hall with the first composition’s courtly “dumka” dance and the latter’s lively “kolo.”

 

-Stage and Cinema

​

​

​

"That is really how my training started with conducting. It started with having the mindset knowing this is what I wanted to do plus I have such a persistent personality that I wasn’t going to stop until I made it happen." 

 

-Rollingout

​

​

​

"The Sinfonietta takes a stand in its 29th season when three women appear on the Sinfonietta’s podium over the course of the year, including  returning Project Inclusion Freeman Conducting Fellow, Kalena Bovell who has been appointed by Maestro Chen as Assistant Conductor for the 2016-17 Season." 

 

-Africlassical

​

​