Michael Tilson Thomas, the 12-time Grammy Award winning composer and famed conductor who led the San Francisco Symphony for a quarter century, has died.
The symphony said Thursday that Thomas, known to many as MTT, died at his home Wednesday surrounded by family and friends. He was 81.
Thomas first announced in 2021 that he had been battling glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer which required immediate brain surgery. Last year, Thomas announced the tumor had returned and said he would wind down his public appearances.
“A ‘coda’ is a musical element at the end of a composition that brings the whole piece to a conclusion. A coda can vary greatly in length. My life’s coda is generous and rich,” Thomas said at the time.
His last public appearance was a concert celebrating his 80th birthday last April.
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“MTT didn’t just lead the Symphony—he became part of the cultural fabric of San Francisco itself, expanding what it meant to be an orchestra in a city like ours. His impact reached far beyond the concert hall, touching the life of the city in ways both visible and deeply personal,” said Priscilla Geeslin, who chairs the symphony’s board. “We were, quite simply, so lucky to have him.”
Mayor Daniel Lurie said, “Michael Tilson Thomas was a visionary leader in San Francisco’s music and arts community and helped shape our entire city’s cultural identity. In his time leading the San Francisco Symphony, Michael elevated the city’s music scene onto the global stage through innovative performances and a passion for bringing music to more people.”
Born in Los Angeles in 1944 and educated at the University of Southern California, Thomas made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony in 1974 at the age of 29. Over a 52-year relationship with the symphony, Thomas led nearly 1,800 concerts.
In 1995, Thomas became the symphony’s Music Director, a period where the symphony experienced significant growth and where the symphony launched SFS Media, its own recording label.
Thomas also co-founded the New World Symphony, based in Miami Beach, Florida.
“The world will remember his brilliant mind, limitless imagination and his creative and collaborative spirit. Our NWS community will forever be transformed by the generosity with which he shared these qualities,” the New World Symphony said in a separate statement.
In addition to leading symphonies in San Francisco and Miami, Thomas also served as music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic in New York, principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra.
Thomas was preceded in death by his husband Joshua Robison, who died in February at the age of 79. They are survived by their sisters, nieces and nephews.
The San Francisco Symphony said upcoming performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on June 18, 20 and 21 will be dedicated to Thomas. A special concert celebrating Thomas’ life will be announced at a later date.
