9/17/2015

MichaelTilsonThomasLongBiographyMusicSalesClassical

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Michael Tilson Thomas
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Michael Tilson Thomas

Born: 1944
Nationality: American
Publisher: G. Schirmer
Photo Susan Schelling

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BorninLosAngeleson21December1944,MichaelTilsonThomasisthethirdgeneration
ofhisfamilytofollowanartisticcareer.Internationallyacclaimedasbothconductorand
composer,TilsonThomascomposesinacolorful,eclecticstylethatreflectshispassionfor
thediversityofAmericanmusicallife.
HebeganhisformalstudiesattheUniversityofSouthernCaliforniawherehestudied
pianowithJohnCrownandconductingandcompositionwithIngolfDahl.Atage19,he
wasnamedMusicDirectoroftheYoungMusiciansFoundationDebutOrchestra.In1969,
afterwinningtheKoussevitzkyPrizeatTanglewood,TilsonThomaswasappointed
AssistantConductoroftheBostonSymphonyOrchestra.HehasservedasPrincipalGuest
ConductoroftheLosAngelesPhilharmonic,PrincipalConductoroftheGreatWoods
Festival,andPrincipalConductoroftheLondonSymphonyOrchestra.
TilsonThomasistheSanFranciscoSymphony's11thMusicDirector.Heisalsothe
FounderandArtisticDirectoroftheNewWorldSymphonyandPrincipalGuestConductor
oftheLondonSymphonyOrchestra.
Despitebeingoneofthebusiestconductorsontheinternationalscene,TilsonThomas
hasdevotedconsiderabletimetocomposingthroughouthiscareer.HisFromtheDiaryof
AnneFrank,fornarratorandorchestra,wascommissionedbyUNICEFandgivenits
worldpremiereatPhiladelphia'sAcademyofMusicin1990bythelateAudreyHepburnandtheNewWorldSymphony,
conductedbythecomposer.SincethentheworkhasbeenplayedbytheLondonSymphonyOrchestra,televisedthroughout
JapaninanewJapanesetranslation,playedbytheIsraelPhilharmonicinaHebrewversion,performedinHollandinthe
originalDutch,inSouthAfrica,inGermany,inSpainbytheOrquestraSimfonicadeBarcelona,attheRaviniaandAspen
MusicFestivalsandthroughouttheUnitedStates.
MorerecentcompositionsincludeasongcycleonEmilyDickinson'spoems,premieredbytheSanFranciscoSymphonyin
February2002,performedontheir2003Europeantourand2005AmericantourUrbanLegend,forcontrabassoonand
orchestra,firstperformedbytheSanFranciscoSymphonyinOctober2002ThreePoemsbyWaltWhitmanforbaritoneand
orchestraFiveSongs,forvoiceandpiano,includingWeTwoBoysTogetherClinging,recordedbybaritoneThomas
HampsonandpianistCraigRutenbergforEMIStreetSong,writtenfortheEmpireBrassQuintetandalsoavailableina
versionforsymphonicbrassandAgnegram,thecomposer'sshort(4')90thbirthdayorchestraltributetolongtimeSan
FranciscoSymphonypatronAgnesAlbert.DescribedasbuoyantandexuberantwithshadesofStravinsky,Walton,Bernstein,
andSpikeJones,AgnegramwaspremieredbytheSanFranciscoSymphonyon14May1998.
TilsonThomaswascommissionedbythecityofHiroshimatocomposeapieceforthecommemorationofthe50thanniversary
ofthebombingofthatcity.Shwa/Shoh,aworkfororchestra,istheresult.Itwaspremieredon6August1995bythePacific
MusicFestivalOrchestra.
AmonghismanyhonorsandawardsMr.TilsonThomasisaChevalierdansl'ordredesArtsetdesLettresofFrance,received
theDitsonAwardforcontributionstoAmericanmusicandtheAmericanSymphonyOrchestraLeague'sLifetimeAchievement
Award.HewasMusicalAmerica'sMusicianoftheYearandConductoroftheYear,GramophoneMagazine'sArtistoftheYear
andhasbeenprofiledonCBS's60MinutesandABC'sNightline.HehaswonsevenGrammyAwardsforhisrecordings.In
2008hereceivedthePeabodyAwardforhisradioseriesforSFSMedia,TheMTTFiles.
October2008

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