Michael Tilson Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Tilson Thomas in 2008 | |
| Born | December 21, 1944 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | April 22, 2026 (aged 81) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Conductor, composer, pianist |
| Spouse |
Joshua Robison
(m. 2014; died 2026) |
| Website | michaeltilsonthomas |
Michael Tilson Thomas (December 21, 1944 - April 22, 2026), was an American conductor, pianist and composer. He was the conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
Tilson Thomas was born in Los Angeles, California. His grandparents were well-known actors of the Yiddish theatre. Tilson Thomas studied at the University of Southern California.
After being assistant conductor at the Bayreuth Festival his first important opportunity came in 1969 when the conductor William Steinberg became unwell during a concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Tilson Thomas took over conducting the rest of the concert. He stayed with the orchestra as assistant conductor until 1974, making several recordings with them. He was conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra from 1971 to 1979. During this time he conducted a series of Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic. From 1981 to 1985 he was the main guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Tilson Thomas started a new orchestra, the New World Symphony, in Miami, Florida in 1987, to give talented young people a chance to play with a good orchestra. From 1988 to 1995, he was principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and from 1995 through 2026, he was their main guest conductor. In 1995, he became conductor (music director) of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
Tilson Thomas conducted many styles of music, especially American music such as that of Charles Ives and Aaron Copland. He also recorded all nine symphonies of Gustav Mahler.
In 2009 Tilson Thomas created the YouTube Symphony Orchestra to give a concert that could be watched on YouTube. The orchestra was made up of young players from 30 different countries.
Tilson Thomas was openly gay.
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