"A completely different Mozart set the tone of the concert conducted by the Israeli guest Yuval Zaliouk, with the overture to ‘The Abduction from the Seraglio’ bursting with life and effervescent in movement. An excellent conductor who, throughout the concert, thrilled the audience with his precision and his clear and clean attacks. There was a detour into the music of a contemporary Israeli composer Boris Pigovat, whose short poem "Nigun" makes voluptuous allusions to traditional Israeli music. For the finale, the conductor, remarkably well understood and followed by the musicians of the Orchestre Regional, gave us a sumptuous gift: Beethoven’s 4th symphony, nourished with precision, exemplary loyalty and admirably "organized." It was absolute classicism, free from vain adornments. The music progressed from one section to another and from instrumentation to another with intense energy. Astonishing. A great success."
~ Aurore Busser

"The chemistry between music and music makers is not an altogether fathomable one, but it does not take long nor even a trained ear to perceive when this chemistry works. And most definitely it worked Friday night at the Masonic Auditorium where the Toledo Symphony Orchestra came fully alive under the baton of guest conductor Yuval Zaliouk. "To be sure, while it was mighty cold outside the music of Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms can always be counted on to deliver both warmth and even heat — if their music is realized artistically rather than mechanically. In the past few years, too many concerts have suffered from just such a mechanical reproduction of notes. "But Friday night the orchestra returned to making music. Thus was revealed the potential of the orchestra reawakened — after all it contains some superb musicians — but also what a knowing and most musical conductor — I am tempted to simply say, the right conductor — can do and in very short order. I have no idea how it is done, except to report that the orchestra never sounded better, more confident, more mature, more balanced in some three years. "...A true conductor shows his mettle best when called on to accompany such a reading. Not only did Mr. Zaliouk offer a beautifully balanced accompaniment, but he kept the music's transparency without ever letting the orchestral playing lose substance. It called for flexibility and a high degree of empathy. The result was a superb collaboration. "...The important thing is that he has immense and telling experience already, including working with Otto Klemperer. He knows how to make music, there is little doubt about that, and he does it with a rare elan, enthusiasm, conviction, and style. ..."
by Boris Nelson, The Toledo Blade (Toledo, Ohio USA)

"Maestro Yuval Zaliouk, who ends his tenure as music director/conductor of the Toledo Symphony at the end of this season, has been awarded the title of conductor laureate by the Toledo Symphony Board of Trustees. "In bestowing this honor, the Toledo Symphony joins other orchestras in recognizing a music director's contributions to the advancement of music in his community. ..."
The Toledo Blade (Toledo, Ohio USA)

"Yuval Zaliouk emerged as a conductor specializing in the music of Malcolm Williamson, our new Master of the Queen's Music. The programme last night was quite varied and included a piece by Williamson, his Epitaphs for Edith Sitwell, some of his most compelling and pugnacious music, powerfully performed. Schumann and Shastokovich were also represented, but what chiefly impressed me was Mr. Zaliouk's distinctive, yet perfectly sound approach to Beethoven and Schubert, music which is the London Mozart Player's daily bread but which they played with real freshness. ..."
The Times (London)

"In addition to his considerable technique and complete mastery of the score, the young Israeli conductor has a gift for transmitting his delight with the music and with a composer's unique sense of humor."
The Daily Telegraph

"This is a most impressive debut on record. Plainly the pointing of the rhythms comes fundamentally from him, and I can conceive nothing less like the alleged characteristics of the 'whizz-kid' virtuoso conductor than this delightfully relaxed and smiling performance. For the first time I felt that the jaunty Forlane had something of English pastoral in it — perhaps no coincidence, as Zaliouk is reputed to be a great enthusiast for British music."
The Gramophone

"There was a surprise to the concert, and a delightful one at that. It was the conducting of Yuval Zaliouk. He was always in thorough command of the orchestra and has the knack of making old and familiar works seem new and fresh. "Last Sunday's version was a shade more dramatic: Zaliouk's somewhat more lyrical. Both versions were equally valid. But Zaliouk's taut management continues to be astonishing, especially since the orchestra had played so sloppily just the night before."
Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Michigan USA)

"Somewhere in our cultural history classical music acquired a reputation for stuffiness, with musicians being clad in formal attire now rarely used in other social situations and listeners sitting in their seats wearing frozen countenances and stifling coughs except when unfamiliar music is being played. "... However, two recent musical events in Toledo were welcome changes from the stiffness and formality often associated with classical-music performances. "One was the concert by violinist Itzhak Perlman," ... "The other event was an appearance by the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. "... Maestro Yuval Zaliouk, while not exactly a Victor Borge in his sallies at humor, nevertheless entertained a house full of young and old listeners with a "pops" assortment. He interspersed the numbers with musical quizzes directed at the youngsters, invitations to young people to come up on stage, and short commentaries on the pieces about to be played. ..."
Pages of Opinion, The Toledo Blade (Toledo, Ohio USA)

"Yuval Zaliouk unfolded the enormous span of the opening largo with such skill that the tension never sagged over its 20-minute duration."
David Blount, Express & Echo

"The first thing I said when I got here," says Toledo Symphony Music Director Yuval Zaliouk, "is that we must bring the orchestra to the people, rather than bring the people to the orchestra." In keeping with the music director's populist ideals and the orchestra's stated mission to perform music for as broad a range of the community as possible, the TSO has launched an innovative Neighborhood Concerts series, bringing symphonic music to historic churches through the city and offering programs designed to appeal to various ethnic groups in the community. "... Response from the general public was enthusiastic and news of the concert spread throughout the city. Potential sponsors for the following season rapidly turned into contracted engagements, and the series was born. ..."
Symphony Magazine