Michael Tilson Thomas dies at 81

A man so unpossessed of even a glimmer of culture but somehow serving as POTUS for a 2nd time in a decade, who had the temerity to name the Kennedy Center after himself, offering no condolences on the passing of Michael Tilson Thomas represents the apex of our rot & descent.

Sad and long-expected news: Michael Tilson Thomas died last night at 81, nearly five years after first being diagnosed with brain cancer. This will take some time to process. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Thomas led the San Francisco Symphony from 1995 to 2020, helping to establish its reputation as a world-class orchestra. In 2021, he was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer. n.pr/3OGxlST

Oh no! I interviewed MTT in his house 16 years ago and he was as smart and gentle and precise as you might imagine. A real loss to San Francisco and to music everywhere: www.motherjones.com/media/2010/0...

Michael Tilson Thomas, the American conductor, composer and pianist, died on Wednesday at 81. His 25-year tenure as music director of the San Francisco Symphony became a model of collegial music-making, artistic adventurousness and community engagement.

Michael Tilson Thomas, a leading American conductor for a half-century who headed orchestras in Buffalo, Miami, London and San Francisco while also composing, died Wednesday. He was 81. https://to.pbs.org/3OCtdn6

Grammy-winning conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, the bird-like maestro affectionately dubbed MTT and a “bad boy of classical music” while leading almost all the major orchestras of the United States and Europe since his teen years, has died in his San Francisco home.

Farewell to a legend of the classical music world and a San Francisco icon. Michael Tilson Thomas, 1944-2026 #musicsky #classical #symphony #sfso

MTT, a great conductor whose impact on the San Francisco Symphony can't be underestimated, has died at 81. www.npr.org/2026/04/23/n...

#RIP Michael Tilson Thomas 📷 Ellen Graham, White Oak Conservation Center, Yulee, Florida, 1993 "The most important thing about music is what happens when it stops, what remains with the listener, what they take away." www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJf5...