"... it was worth the trip to Catholic University's Hartke Theater Sunday afternoon to see and hear the Summer Opera Theater Company's new rendition ... this "Magic Flute" nevertheless captures both the charm and the majesty of an odd but ever-appealing work. ...Kate Tamarkin's conducting was elegant..."

— THE WASHINGTON POST

"Conductor Kate Tamarkin paces and balances the music for maximum impact."

— THE WASHINGTON POST

"Maestro Tamarkin really made the Monterey Symphony sound like a major orchestra, and we heard a performance that was rich and satisfying."

— THE CALIFORNIAN

"Tamarkin led the orchestra with the grace and confidence we have come to expect from this fine music director, now in her second year with the symphony. The musicians seem to have retained their keen ensemble edge since they last gathered as an orchestra months ago. Even in the crucible of the Mahler masterpiece, they delivered a taut, expressive performance."

"Mahler's Symphony No.5 presents us with an emotional drama that swings between musical opposites-tragedy and joy, despair and mania, pain and pleasure, gloom and hope...The orchestra met the challenges of this enormous work with vitality and aplomb. Tamarkin directed the players through Mahler's wild range of human feelings in an authoritive interpretation of the symphony."

— THE MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD

"The musicians keep refining their art under Tamarkin's guidance. Best of all, they seem to do it with joy and a robust taste for musical adventure, which Tamarkin supplies in her distinctive programming."

— THE MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD

"Kudos to Tamarkin and the Monterey Symphony.  They have never sounded better."

— THE CALIFORNIAN

"Conductor Kate Tamarkin displayed a firm yet expressive grip on the Grant Park Symphony in a program that opened with Samuel Barber's Overture to the 'The School of Scandal' and closed with Beethoven's Symphony No. 2...the Grant Park Symphony played with intensity and polish."

— THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

"The orchestra superbly conveyed the beauty of Rautavaara's composition under Tamarkin's guidance.  Having worked closely with the composer on "Isle of Bliss" and the U.S. premiere of his 1997 opera "Aleksis Kivi," she brings unique attunement to the Rautavaara's music. "

  — THE MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD

"Tamarkin guided the orchestra, and Slovenian pianist Dubravka Tomsic, in a taut, spirited performance that culminated triumphantly in Beethoven's titanic Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 "Eroica."  …  [she] led the orchestra with an impeccable hand, ensuring a balanced interplay between pianist and ensemble.  ...  [the] account of the Beethoven piece proved a pleasure and a revelation." 

— THE MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD

"Tamarkin's assets begin with an innate musicality - not something that can be taken for granted.  Last night's performances balanced thrust with repose; rhythmic figures nearly came out and bit the audience on the ears, while melodic lines enjoyed phrasing of great care and sensitiviy."

— ARIZONA DAILY STAR

"Tamarkin is rapidly establishing a reputation for sensitive and highly imaginative work with orchestras around the country...the highlight of the evening (with the Nashville Symphony) was Edward Elgar's 'Enigma' Variations...conceived in the richest romantic tradition, Tamarkin treated the shifting patterns of the variations with affectation and uncommon energy." 

— NASHVILLE BANNER

"From the opening strains of Berlioz's 'Roman Carnival' to the finale of Stravinsky's 'Firebird Suite', Tamarkin demanded precision, and the Pacific Symphony players responded with clean, balanced lines...If the screams that greeted Tamarkin's entrance were any indication, at least some of the 6,587 had come to offer a welcome to a returning friend."

— THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

"Kate Tamarkin made her most formidable impression yet (with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra)...She has an unaffected podium style...the result was vivid and interesting music making."

  — DALLAS TIMES HERALD