Conductor, composer, and pianist Michael Tilson Thomas passed away Wednesday April 22nd at his home in San Francisco. He was 81 years old.
Thomas, often known by his initials MTT, was born on December 21, 1944, in Los Angeles, California. The son of a Broadway stage manager, he displayed a talent for music early on. He studied piano with John Crown and composition and conducting with Ingolf Dahl at USC, where he graduated in 1967.
In 1969, at the age of 24, Thomas was named assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He remained with the BSO until 1974, making several recordings with the orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon, and gaining international recognition. From 1971 to 1979 he was music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, where we also recorded for Columbia Records.
From 1971 to 1977, Thomas conducted the Young People’s Concerts of the New York Philharmonic, which were broadcast on television. (Thomas would go on to appear regularly on PBS from 1972 to 2008, as well as Japan’s NHK and the BBC.) During this time he also conducted the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra in Los Angeles, and from 1981 to 1985 he was principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1987, Thomas founded the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida, an orchestral academy for young musicians to prepare for roles the in leading orchestras and ensembles of the world. He was instrumental in the development of the New World Center in Miami Beach, designed by Frank Gehry. (The two knew each other well, as Gehry sometimes babysat Thomas when he was growing up in Los Angeles.)
From 1988 to 1995, Thomas was principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, a very prestigious post. However in 1995 he left to take up the post he is perhaps best of all known for: music director of the San Francisco Symphony.
Thomas would go on to direct the SF Symphony for 25 years, making numerous recordings for RCA/BMG, and its own label SFS Media. To date Thomas is the longest-serving music director in the Symphony’s history. He stepped down from full time duties in 2020, taking the title of Music Director Laureate.
In 2021 Thomas disclosed publicly for the first time he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. Despite a protracted, up and down battle, in February 2025 Thomas announced that his brain tumor had returned. His final public appearance was on April 26, 2025, when he conducted the SF Symphony in a belated 80th birthday concert.
Rest In Peace, Michael Tilson Thomas.
The world has lost a treasure. Thank you for everything, Michael.