Remembering Michael Tilson Thomas

Sir Antonio Pappano, LSO Chief Conductor

‘MTT was the kind of musician I always aspired to be. With his astonishingly omnivorous musical appetite, he achieved a knowledge and wisdom not only about the mechanics of how music works but how to communicate its message and spirit to orchestral musicians, students and audiences alike.

His never-ending energy, bags of talent and American can-do approach went hand in hand with a fierce intelligence that underpinned everything he was involved with. I am immensely proud that Michael was a crucial part of the LSO family. A beacon in every way.’

Colin Matthews OBE, composer

‘MTT was a friend and colleague for nearly 40 years, but his courage over the last five years – not only speaking openly about the brain tumour he was diagnosed with in 2021, but continuing to conduct against all the odds – is what stands out for me now. To have taken on Mahler 3 with the LSO, followed by a wonderful Mahler 2 as recently as 18 months ago, was an extraordinary feat to have achieved.

Too many outstanding performances over the years to name any others. What a musician he was, and how lucky we were to have him.’

Belinda McFarlane, LSO Second Violin

‘I first met Michael when I joined the LSO, when he was our Principal Conductor. He immediately befriended me as a new member, and one of the youngest. He was so open and friendly. I was always inspired by his adventurous and spirited performances, always mixed with a breadth and depth of musical interpretation. What a privilege it has been to perform with him for over 30 years. So many memorable performances, and the concerts on tour so often followed by extremely generous and memorable parties! Michael brought so much to the Orchestra – not only was he the Principal and Laureate conductor, he was also our friend and our champion. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy will live on.

I last saw Michael in San Francisco last year, on the day he had made the announcement that he would no longer be conducting due to his illness. I messaged his husband (and artistic partner), the incredible Joshua, to say I was there in their beloved city, and was thinking of them. He immediately responded and asked me over for afternoon tea. I arrived, and there they were, hanging out in their Pacific Heights kitchen with their beautiful dogs and a couple of friends. Joshua asked me what I would like, and I said tea would be nice. He said, ‘Sure, you can have tea, but we always have tequila at this time of day.’ ‘Fantastic!’ I said. So we shared a tequila and talked about old friends, colleagues and memorable concerts. A treasured memory, one of the many I have of Michael and Joshua.’

Sue Mallet, LSO Director of Planning

‘Over the past 50 years, I have definitely undertaken more tours with Michael than any other LSO conductor, and on every tour, Joshua Robison was by his side. Free days are a rarity on tour and normally only crop up on the long-haul trips to the US and East Asia, but invariably I would spend those days with Michael and Joshua. If Michael was in a composing mood, Josh (who was a keen rider) and I would find some horses to ride.

Back in the 80s and 90s, the long-haul tours were frequently three to five weeks (much longer than today) and Michael always enjoyed the post-concert dinners, especially when Japanese food was being served. He was a great raconteur, mimic, and would often treat the dinner guests to a rendition of the latest catchy song he had written. Whenever we were on the West Coast, Michael and Joshua would invite me and members of the Orchestra to lunches and dinners at their fabulous house in San Francisco.

Michael and Joshua were officially together for 50 years, and tied the knot in November 2014. Joshua’s death in February was a terrible twist of fate, preceding Michael’s by just two months. I consider myself very lucky and privileged to have got to know them both and spend the time I did with them.’

Sir Clive Gillinson, Former LSO Managing Director and LSO Cello

‘I first met and worked with Michael shortly after I joined the London Symphony Orchestra as a player in 1970. I was just out of music college, and he was a brilliant young whiz kid – Leonard Bernstein’s protégé and star pupil – who was making his debut as a conductor with the LSO. We were dazzled.

We engaged him at the LSO over many seasons and eventually, after Claudio Abbado retired as our Principal Conductor and following a vote of the players, we appointed him to succeed Abbado. By then, I had become the LSO’s Managing Director and worked with him very closely throughout his seven-year tenure.

What never ceased to amaze me: his personality seemed to be frozen in time. In his early twenties, he was a young, dazzling, enthusiastic, brilliant kid, which was exactly who he was in his sixties and even seventies! During his time as our Principal Conductor, we developed many fascinating projects, including a major focus on Mahler and others on Russian, French and American music.

Michael’s lifelong exploration, endless curiosity and constant searching for greater depths and truths were essential parts of what made up the fundamental MTT – with whom we deeply cherished every moment, and who will always be a source of enduring inspiration for us all.’

Lennox Mackenzie OBE, LSO Principal Emeritus, former LSO Chair and Sub-Leader

‘Knowing, and making music with, Michael has been one of the greatest joys of my life in music. I remember revelling in the early days of his Principal Conductorship in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and in particular the infectious effervescence of the Gershwin Years Festival; and the popular, televised lecture-concerts, with Michael’s fascinating and entertaining insights into the composers’ minds and their masterpieces; and the serious, deeply felt music-making within the Mahler Festival. And so much more. The mutually enjoyed, creative, fulfilling collaboration between MTT and the LSO happily lasted over 50 years.

He brought charm, wit and touching care, not only to the music but also to his interactions with us, the musicians. He was always so willing and keen to be our friend. The feeling was mutual. He forever asked me about the players’ lives, caring deeply about the welfare of his musicians. MTT was a flamboyant, but also seriously profound, conductor, and we in the LSO also enjoyed him as a brilliant virtuoso pianist, a talented composer of heartfelt, touching music, a totally committed educator and a generous, comical host of so many parties around the globe.

The music world is a lesser and duller place without MTT’s inspiring enthusiasm. Goodnight and thank you for everything, Michael.’

Jonathan Vaughan, Former LSO Chair and LSO Double Bass

‘When I think back to my years with the London Symphony Orchestra between 1992 and 2002, certain musical memories rise above the many remarkable experiences we were fortunate to share. At the centre of so many of them stands Michael Tilson Thomas – MTT to the world – but to us, quite simply, a conductor of rare imagination, generosity and unmistakable presence.

As a communicator, he was direct, vivid and deeply knowledgeable. His personal connections to Stravinsky and Bernstein left unmistakable fingerprints on his performances, and he inherited Lennie’s unique gift for illuminating music through performance. He would speak, illustrate at the piano and then, almost in the same breath, step onto the podium to bring those ideas to life. Those moments were revelatory, and we all learned immensely from them.

Looking back now, they feel part of a larger legacy – not only his, but one shared with the orchestra and our audiences. His belief in the integrity of the score and the individuality of the musicians in front of him left an enduring mark. During those years with the LSO, he helped create moments that continue to resonate long after the final note. For that, and for the artistry, curiosity and humanity he brought to the podium, I remain deeply grateful.’

Yuja Wang, pianist

‘It was with the LSO that Michael first give me a chance. I remember it so well – in Granada, when I was still only a teenager. Naturally, that was a major moment for me, but Michael took such great care of me, he made it fun and inspirational, and made me comfortable and able to perform at my best. Michael had such an affinity with the LSO, and he knew that I would hit it off with this orchestra too – and he was right! Thank you Michael for taking care of so many musicians, for giving us chances and for believing in us.’

Alice Coote CBE, mezzo-soprano

‘Beloved MTT … an utterly unique balance between levity and gravitas existed in you. All you did and were seemed suffused with both a rigorous precision and a defiant freedom. A virtuosic sense of humour coexisting simultaneously with profound depth sparkled in those perspicacious eyes. It was a killer combination which made you a generous leader, guide and teacher of rare wit and humility.

You were deeply loved by musicians and audiences globally, not least in your close bond with the LSO over many decades. Never over-imposing yourself on a work, your innate absolute respect for and trust in the composer set the truth of the music free for us all.

I, and so many, learned so much from you. I love to think that your famous blue spectacles are glinting quizzically down at the funny side of all our tragedy from the blue yonder, eternally … (as in the last two words of Mahler’s The Song of the Earth) ‘Ewig … ewig …’.

Sally Matthews, soprano

‘I had the very great privilege of working with Michael Tilson Thomas (known by everyone as MTT, of course) on several occasions, both with the London Symphony Orchestra and in the US.

Michael was a brilliant, warm-hearted and immensely gifted musician, with an infectious zest for life and a profound belief in the power of music to bring people together.

What made him especially remarkable, however, was his generosity towards artists. He had an extraordinary ability to put people at ease and to create an atmosphere of trust and inspiration. I was still a very young singer when I first worked with him, and he taught me an enormous amount – not only about musicianship, but about courage: to be fearless, to take risks, and to embrace the vulnerability from which true artistry emerges. That, he believed, was where the magic happens.

He will be deeply missed by all of us who had the great honour of working with him.’