American conductor, composer, and pianist Michael Tilson Thomas passed away at his home in San Francisco last Wednesday following a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 81.
Known widely as “MTT,” Tilson Thomas served as music director of the San Francisco Symphony for 25 years. He is credited with elevating the orchestra’s stature and championing adventurous new music.
The grandson of Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky, stars of New York’s Yiddish theater, and son of Ted Thomas, a Broadway stage manager, Michael Tilson Thomas recalled his first taste of conducting at age 12. When the music teacher was absent, he stepped in and led the rehearsal of his junior high school orchestra. As an educator, he followed in the footsteps of Leonard Bernstein, conducting the New York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts for six years. Later, his Keeping Score series with the San Francisco Symphony was another homage to Bernstein. Additionally, he co-founded the New World Symphony, a training academy for professional orchestra musicians in Miami Beach.
After winning the Koussevitzky Prize at Tanglewood in 1969, Tilson Thomas was named assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He was music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra from 1971 to 1979. From 1981 to 1985, he was principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. His extensive discography includes 12 Grammy Award-winning albums.
In this 1984 profile, we see the young, dynamic MTT. He describes himself as “an adventurous romantic” who equally embraces tradition and innovation.
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (San Francisco Symphony)
Recorded on August 30, 2000, this Proms concert took place at London’s Royal Albert Hall: