Michael Tilson Thomas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Tilson Thomas
|
|
|---|---|
Tilson Thomas in 2008
|
|
| Background information | |
| Born | December 21, 1944 Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Conductor, pianist, composer |
Michael Tilson Thomas (born December 21, 1944) is a famous American conductor, pianist, and composer. He is known for leading many orchestras around the world. He is the Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. He is also the Music Director Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony and Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony Orchestra.
In January 2024, he gave his last performance with the San Francisco Symphony. He has been bravely battling brain cancer. On November 14, 2024, he led the Houston Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Beethoven's 9th Symphony.
Contents
About Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas was born in Los Angeles, California. His parents were Ted and Roberta Thomas. His father was a Broadway stage manager. His mother was a middle school history teacher.
His grandparents, Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky, were famous stars in Yiddish theater. This was a type of Jewish theater in New York City. His family has a long history of musical and artistic talent. His great-grandfather, Pincus, was an actor and writer. Before that, his family had many cantors, who are singers in Jewish religious services.
Michael was an only child and showed musical talent very early. He studied piano with John Crown. He also learned composition and conducting from Ingolf Dahl at the University of Southern California. He even worked as a Musical Assistant at the Bayreuth Festival.
He lives in San Francisco with his husband, Joshua Robison. They have been partners for over 40 years and married in 2014. In 2021, he shared that he was diagnosed with a serious form of brain cancer. Despite this, he continues to conduct.
In January 2022, he returned to Los Angeles to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Even with a small audience due to health concerns, he received a warm welcome. He led a wonderful concert. It included his own piece, Meditations on Rilke, which he wrote when he turned 75.
His Musical Journey
Tilson Thomas has conducted many different kinds of music. He especially loves modern American pieces. He is also famous for his performances of music by Gustav Mahler. He has recorded all nine of Mahler's symphonies with the San Francisco Symphony. These recordings are known for their high quality. He is also a top interpreter of music by Aaron Copland, Charles Ives, and Steve Reich.
Some of his own compositions include From the Diary of Anne Frank (1990). He also wrote Shówa/Shoáh (1995) to remember the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Other works include Poems of Emily Dickinson (2002) and Urban Legend (2002).
Michael Tilson Thomas cares a lot about teaching music. He leads a series of educational programs called Keeping Score. These programs help people understand the lives and music of great composers. He also led Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic.
In 1987, he started the New World Symphony in Miami. This is an academy for talented young musicians. Its goal is to prepare them for leading roles in orchestras around the world. More recently, he has led the YouTube Symphony Orchestra twice. This project brings young musicians from all over the world together to make music.
He is also the president of the Tomashefsky Project. This project aims to record and save the theatrical works of his grandparents. Due to his health, he stepped down as Artistic Director of the New World Symphony in 2022. He now serves as the Artistic Director Laureate.
Early Conducting Roles
From 1968 to 1994, Tilson Thomas was the Music Director of the Ojai Music Festival seven times. In 1969, he won a special prize at Tanglewood. This led him to become Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He became famous at age 24 when he stepped in to conduct for an unwell conductor. He stayed with the Boston Symphony until 1974.
He was also the music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra from 1971 to 1979. Between 1971 and 1977, he led the Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic. From 1981 to 1985, he was the main guest conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.
A funny moment happened in 1985 during a Mahler concert at the Hollywood Bowl. A police helicopter flew over, interrupting the music! Tilson Thomas left the stage for a moment. In 2007, he returned to the Hollywood Bowl. He jokingly asked the audience, "Now where were we?"
Leading the New World and London Orchestras
In 1987, Tilson Thomas founded the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. This orchestra helps young, talented musicians get ready for professional careers. He played a big part in creating the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center in Miami Beach, which opened in 2011. He still works with them as Artistic Director Laureate.
From 1988 to 1995, Tilson Thomas was the main conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). He made many recordings with them. Since 1995, he has been a principal guest conductor. In 2016, he became their conductor laureate.
Time with the San Francisco Symphony
Tilson Thomas became the 11th Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony in 1995. He first conducted them in 1974. During his first season, he made sure to include music by American composers in almost every concert. This included a special "An American Festival."
In 2000, he and the San Francisco Symphony held a special "American Mavericks Festival." This festival celebrated new and unusual works by American composers from the 20th century. He also led festivals focusing on music by Wagner, Prokofiev, Mahler, Stravinsky, Beethoven, and Weill.
During his time, the orchestra started releasing its own recordings. In 2005, he conducted a special show called The Thomashefskys: Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theater. This was a tribute to his grandparents. Many other American orchestras have performed this show too.
In 2009, Tilson Thomas worked with YouTube to create the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. Musicians from 30 countries were chosen based on video auditions. They came together for a week of music and learning. The event ended with a live concert at Carnegie Hall. He also conducted the second YouTube Symphony Orchestra in Sydney in 2011.
In 2017, he announced he would finish his time as music director of the San Francisco Symphony in 2020. He then took on the title of music director laureate.
On Film and TV
Michael Tilson Thomas has appeared on television many times. His first TV shows were the Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic from 1971 to 1977. He has also been on PBS often.
In 1976, he appeared with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in a TV special. It was called Bugs and Daffy's Carnival of the Animals. This show combined live action with cartoons to present music by Saint-Saëns.
In 2011, he hosted a concert show celebrating his grandparents and Yiddish theater music. It aired on PBS in 2012 as part of the "Great Performances" series.
Tilson Thomas also hosted the Keeping Score TV series. These shows explored the lives and music of famous composers. He and the San Francisco Symphony looked at composers like Gustav Mahler, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Ludwig van Beethoven.
- Keeping Score discography
- Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony – 2004
- Beethoven's Eroica – 2006
- Copland and the American Sound – 2006
- Stravinsky's Rite of Spring – 2006
- Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique – 2009
- Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 – 2009
- Ives' Holiday Symphony – 2009
- Mahler: Origins and Legacy – 2011
His Compositions
Michael Tilson Thomas has also written his own music. Here are some of his works:
For Orchestra
- From the Diary of Anne Frank (1990) for a narrator and orchestra.
- Shówa/Shoáh (1995).
- Agnegram (1998).
- Whitman Songs (1999) for a baritone singer and orchestra.
- Poems of Emily Dickinson (2002) for a soprano singer and orchestra.
- Urban Legend (2002) for a contrabassoon and orchestra.
- Four Preludes on Playthings of the Wind (2016).
- Meditations on Rilke (2019) for two singers and orchestra.
For Smaller Groups
- Street Song for Symphonic Brass (1988) for brass instruments.
- Street Song for Brass Quintet (1988) for five brass instruments.
- Five Songs (1988) for a baritone singer and piano.
- Grace (1993) for a soprano singer.
- Fame, from Poems of Emily Dickinson (2001).
- Island Music (2003) for marimbas and percussion.
- Notturno (2005) for flute and strings or flute and piano.
- Stay Together (2006) for electronic sounds.
Awards and Honors
Michael Tilson Thomas has won many important awards for his music.
Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium
- 2021 for conducting the San Francisco Symphony. He performed From the Diary of Anne Frank and Meditations on Rilke.
Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance
- 2013 for conducting the San Francisco Symphony in Adams: Harmonielehre & Short Ride in a Fast Machine.
- 2006 for conducting the San Francisco Symphony in Mahler: Symphony No. 7.
- 2003 for conducting the San Francisco Symphony in Mahler: Symphony No. 6.
- 2000 for conducting the Ragazzi, the Peninsula Boys Chorus, the San Francisco Girls Chorus, the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus in Stravinsky: The Firebird; The Rite of Spring; Perséphone.
- 1997 for conducting the San Francisco Symphony in Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (scenes).
Grammy Award for Best Classical Album
- 2010 for conducting the San Francisco Symphony in Mahler: Symphony No. 8.
- 2006 for conducting the San Francisco Symphony in Mahler: Symphony No. 7.
- 2004 for conducting the San Francisco Symphony in Mahler: Symphony No. 3, Kindertotenlieder.
- 2000 for conducting the Ragazzi, the Peninsula Boy Chorus, the San Francisco Girls Chorus, the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus in Stravinsky: The Firebird; The Rite of Spring; Perséphone.
Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance
- 2010 for conducting the San Francisco Symphony in Mahler: Symphony No. 8.
- 1976 for conducting the Cleveland Boys Choir and Cleveland Orchestra Chorus in Orff: Carmina Burana.
- 2007 for The MTT Files, a radio program.
National Medal of Arts
- 2009 National Medal of Arts. This is a high honor given by the U.S. government for artistic excellence.
Kennedy Center Honor
- 2019 Kennedy Center Honor. This award celebrates lifetime contributions to American culture.
See also
In Spanish: Michael Tilson Thomas para niños
- San Francisco Symphony
- San Francisco Symphony Chorus
- New World Symphony Orchestra
