Author: Amanda MacBlane
Michael Tilson Thomas (1944–2026)
It is with deep sadness that we let you know of Michael Tilson Thomas’s passing on April 22, 2026. In 2021, Michael was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme, an aggressive type of brain…
Michael Tilson Thomas, Celebrated American Conductor, Dies at 81
By Anthony Tommasini The New York Times A galvanizing force in classical music as a conductor, composer, pianist and evangelist, he spent 25 years as music director of the San Francisco Symphony.…
Joshua Robison, 1946–2026
It is with great sadness that we share with you that Joshua Robison, MTT's husband, passed away in his sleep during the night of February 22. He sustained a fall last August…
Two MTT Songs Released
In addition to his major compositions, Michael Tilson Thomas wrote the music and lyrics for dozens of songs over the course of his lifetime. Most songs were written during an especially creative…
MTT Profiled on CBS Sunday Morning
MTT spoke with 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl about his life in music for this CBS Sunday Morning feature that was produced by Amol Mhatre. MTT discusses his grandparents, Bessie and Boris…
MTT Celebrated by San Francisco Symphony at Final Performance
On Saturday, April 26, the San Francisco Symphony threw an MTT 80th Birthday Celebration filled with music, special guests, and lots of blue. MTT conducted the opening and closing pieces of the…
MTT Receives Honorary Doctorate from New England Conservatory
MTT was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music by the New England Conservatory (NEC) at its 154th commencement ceremony on May 18, 2025. Other awardees included president and CEO of the Boston…
Praise for the Boston Symphony’s “Whitman Songs”
Photo: Hilary Scott/BSO Conductor Teddy Abrams led the Boston Symphony Orchestra and bass-baritone Dashon Burton in four performances of MTT's composition Whitman Songs March 13–16. In their Boston Globe review, A.Z. Madonna wrote…
Dear Friends, Three years ago, I wrote to tell you that I’m battling Glioblastoma. The three and a half years since the initial diagnosis have been a special time in my life, filled with friends, family, and music. They have also been challenging, as I had to undergo a second operation and manage complications from the treatments that have held the tumor at bay. My doctors have informed me that …
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MTT Featured in BBC Music Magazine
By Michael White classical-music.com As conductor Michael Tilson Thomas marks his 80th birthday, he speaks to Michael White about continuing to make wonderful music while living with cancer. Some musicians seem incapable…
On Disc, the Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas Is Prolifically Himself
By David Allen The New York Times As Thomas turns 80, new collections of his recordings reveal the legacy of a maestro who has exuberantly refused to conform to expectations. The conductor…
Sony Classical Releases 80-Disc MTT Box Set
In celebration of MTT's's 80th birthday on December 21 this year, Sony Classical has released an 80-CD box set that collects Michael's entire discography from Columbia, Sony and RCA recorded between 1973…
Complete Deutsche Grammophon & Argo Recordings
In celebration of MTT's 80th birthday, DG Eloquence has released the first complete collection of MTT’s recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and Argo. The 14-disc box set comprises recordings spanning from 1970 to…
MTT and the London Symphony Orchestra Celebrate 50+ of Making Music Together
On October 20 and 23, 2024, MTT led the London Symphony Orchestra in two performances of Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection," at Barbican Hall. The performances, which featured mezzo-soprano Alice Coote…
Gramophone Lifetime Achievement Award 2024: Michael Tilson Thomas
Joshua Kosman Gramophone As he turns 80, we celebrate the conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas whose impact on musical life and on millions of listeners has been transformative Of the many…
MTT Opens 2024/25 Season at NY Phil
Michael Tilson Thomas opened the NY Philharmonic's 2024/25 season conducting Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. The program also included Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14 featuring Emanuel Ax as soloist. Selected as a New York…
The Lebrecht Interview
Norman Lebrecht interviews MTT about life, death, music, and his memories of Gershwin, Bernstein, and Stravinsky in an interview that aired on BBC3 Radio.
Michael Tilson Thomas and S.F. Symphony Have Been a Partnership for the Ages
By Joshua Kosman San Francisco Chronicle The San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas spent 50 years making music together, 25 of them with him as the orchestra’s music director. For those of us…
Review: Michael Tilson Thomas Bids a Bittersweet Farewell with — of course — Mahler
By Joshua Kosman San Francisco Chronicle Sometimes it seems as if the music of Gustav Mahler has been the recurrent soundtrack of our lives in the Bay Area. With Michael Tilson Thomas leading the…
Review: Michael Tilson Thomas Triumphs at Symphony Center in Exuberant Program of Brahms, Mozart
By Kyle MacMillan The Chicago Sun-Times Facing brain cancer, the renowned conductor delivered a performance that will stand up to any in this hall this season. […] The music director laureate of…
Review: An Emotion-Laden Return to Davies Symphony Hall
By Joshua Kosman San Francisco Chronicle In his first concert as music director of the San Francisco Symphony, in September 1995, Michael Tilson Thomas led the orchestra in a dynamic, revelatory performance of Beethoven’s…
Review: LSO/Tilson Thomas/Tetzlaff – Brahms Soars and Glows
By Erica Jeal The Guardian In an all-Brahms programme, Christian Tetzlaff brought momentum and shape to the Violin Concerto, and Tilson Thomas made every note glow There is a sense that every…
Michael Tilson Thomas — Why Brain Cancer Won’t Stop Me Conducting
By Richard Morrison The Times The esteemed American conductor on carrying on, the LSO and the future of classical music. [… MTT] has always seen the conductor’s role as encouraging, not dictating.…
The Ageless Exuberance of Michael Tilson Thomas
By Alex Ross The New Yorker In the face of serious illness, the conductor led two memorable programs at the L.A. Phil. The molten monument that is Mahler’s Ninth Symphony is routinely…
Commentary: Michael Tilson Thomas Charges Ahead While in Treatment for Aggressive Brain Cancer
By Mark Swed Los Angeles Times The concert was about to start and the hush was pregnant with, well, what? Michael Tilson Thomas was back to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic. There…