Michael Tilson Thomas, courtesy SF Symphony.
Michael Tilson Thomas, courtesy SF Symphony.
The San Francisco Symphony will celebrate the life and legacy of longtime music director Michael Tilson Thomas with an all-star memorial concert on Oct. 2 at Davies Symphony Hall.
“A Concert for MTT” will feature many of Tilson Thomas’ longtime friends and collaborators, including vocalist Audra McDonald, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, pianists Yuja Wang and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and conductors Teddy Abrams and Edwin Outwater, alongside the symphony and San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Additional guests will be announced later.
The program will blend live performances, archival footage, recordings and personal tributes celebrating the organization’s icon, who died on April 22 at 81 after a more than five-decade relationship with the orchestra. He had battled an aggressive type of brain cancer since 2021. During his 25-year tenure as music director from 1995 to 2020, he led nearly 1,800 concerts and helped elevate the symphony’s international profile while championing contemporary and American composers.
MTT also oversaw the launch of SFS Media, the symphony’s Grammy-winning recording label, created a lasting music education resource with Keeping Score.
“Michael didn’t just lead this orchestra. He reimagined what an orchestra could be, and he did it here, with these musicians, for this city,” San Francisco Symphony CEO Matthew Spivey said in a statement. “Working alongside him shaped how all of us understand our purpose. His loss in April was deeply felt, but his influence is woven into the San Francisco Symphony at every level, and it will be for generations.”
Tickets start at $89 and are available to symphony donors and subscribers now at the SF Symphony’s website. They will become available to the general public on July 18.
The concert also highlights the recently established Michael Tilson Thomas Legacy Fund, a permanent endowment created to support the orchestra and preserve the artistic vision Tilson Thomas helped build during his decades with the symphony. You can make a donation to this fund now.
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