Michael Tilson Thomas, the new San Francisco Symphony conductor, poses of a portrait inside the Davies Symphony hall in San Francisco on Nov. 29, 1993. Tilson Thomas sports a San Francisco Giants baseball jacket. He will conduct “From the Diary of Anne Frank,” while actress Debra Winger narrates.
John O’Hara/S.F. Chronicle
The loss of Michael Tilson Thomas is weighing heavily on the Bay Area classical music community and beyond, with many of his friends, collaborators and admirers sharing heartfelt tributes to the conductor online.
The longtime San Francisco Symphony music director died on Wednesday, April 22, nearly five years after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that doctors later identified as glioblastoma multiforme. He was 81.
“Michael Tilson Thomas redefined classical music for the modern era,” California Governor Gavin Newsom posted to X on Thursday, April 23. “Michael was bold, innovative, thoughtful and generous. His work will forever play on.”
Article continues below this ad
At Oracle Park, the San Francisco Giants honored Thomas ahead of their day game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, holding a stadium-wide moment of silence for the conductor.
Michael Tilson Thomas, former Music Director of the SF Symphony, engages with the audience after he conducted one of his final concerts with the orchestra, Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor (1902), at Davies Symphony Hall. On Thursday, January 25, 2024, San Francisco, Calif.
Jana Asenbrennerova/Special to The Chronicle
“A protege of Leonard Bernstein, Thomas’ legendary career included stints with some of the world’s most renowned ensembles, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics and the London Symphony Orchestra,” Carolyn McArdle, the Giants’ public address announcer, told the San Francisco crowd. “Under his brilliant leadership, the San Francisco Symphony quickly established its reputation as a world class orchestra.”
San Francisco Chronicle Logo
Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.
Add Preferred Source
Article continues below this ad
Thomas was also remembered by a number of his musical colleagues, several of whom thanked the late conductor for his mentorship and guidance.
“We cherished our time with MTT and learned so much working with him to prepare the S&M2 performances,” Metallica wrote on X, referring to the metal band’s 2019 collaboration with Thomas that marked the opening of San Francisco’s Chase Center. “It was a very high honor to have him on the podium.”
South African opera soprano Elza van den Heever similarly reflected on her time working with Thomas.
“Before walking out on stage, MTT gave me the most beautiful piece of wisdom that has stayed with me for my whole career: ‘somewhere in this audience there is someone who is hearing this music for the first time. Sing for them!,’” she commented on a post announcing Thomas’ death shared to his Instagram account on Thursday, April 23.
She collaborated with Thomas and the Symphony on several occasions, and was featured on the orchestra’s Grammy Award-winning recording of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in 2009.
Article continues below this ad
“Thank you maestro for your love and generosity!!! You were an inspiration,” she added.
Dozens of others filled the comment section of the post with similarly fond appreciations, many also acknowledging his late husband and business manager Joshua Robison, who died Feb. 24 from complications following a fall at their Pacific Heights home. He was 79.
“So deeply sad yet greatful (sic) for all the years of mentorship, laughter, love, loyalty and sparkling music making,” Grammy-winning opera mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard commented on Tilson’s Instagram account. “Truly saddened to lose such a bright soul but he is now with his Joshua again and for that I am happy.”
Leonard and Thomas worked together frequently, notably on the Symphony’s 2021 Grammy Award-winning album “From the Diary of Anne Frank” and “Mediations of Rilke.”
Sarah Willis of the Berlin Philharmonic, also shared a brief tribute to Thomas on the platform.
Article continues below this ad
“RIP dear MTT. So grateful for all of your support over the years. Hope you are salsa-ing with Joshua now,” the French horn player musician, who worked with Thomas to mentor young musicians, wrote in reference to Thomas’ love for dancing.
Thomas served as the orchestra’s music director for 25 years, stepping down in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jana Asenbrennerova/Special to The Chronicle
Thomas’ 25-year tenure as the orchestra’s music director began in 1995, and has been highly regarded as a period of artistic excellence for the institution. He stepped down from the role in 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and became the orchestras’ music director laureate.
New World Symphony, the post-graduate orchestral academy in Miami that Thomas established with Ted and Lin Arison in 1987, issued several statements to its website in his honor.
“MTT was a master of wrestling a dream into reality,” wrote Howard Herring, president and CEO of the organization. “He coached us all in the process. First the dream, then the hard work—of mastering a piece of music, of building a career, of establishing an institution.”
Article continues below this ad
NWS Artistic Director Stéphane Denève specifically praised Thomas’ unique style.
“I will forever treasure the cathartic effect his music-making had on me,” she wrote. “Together with the NWS Fellows, it is our mission now to continue the dream of its Co-Founder and guiding soul.”
The Symphony released its own statement on Thomas’ passing early Thursday morning, with statements from Board Chair Priscilla Geeslin, Chief Executive Officer Matthew Spivey and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, among others.
“His love for our city has been an inspiration to Becca and me and for generations of San Franciscans,” Lurie said in a statement on behalf of his wife and family. “His legacy will live on for generations to come.”