Michael Tilson Thomas, the influential conductor, composer, and longtime leader of the San Francisco Symphony, has died at 81.
According to AP News, the American maestro died Wednesday at his home in San Francisco after a yearslong battle with brain cancer.
A Career That Reshaped American Classical Music
Thomas built a reputation as one of the most versatile conductors of his era, moving fluidly between canonical European works and modern American compositions. His tenure as music director of the San Francisco Symphony from 1995 to 2020 became a defining chapter, during which he elevated the orchestra’s international profile and championed contemporary voices alongside established masters.
Born in Los Angeles in 1944 into a family deeply connected to the performing arts, he showed early musical promise and went on to study piano, composition, and conducting at the University of Southern California. His early career accelerated quickly after a high profile last minute substitution with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Across the following decades, Thomas held leadership roles with ensembles in Buffalo, London, and Los Angeles, while also founding the New World Symphony in Miami in 1987. That institution became a key training ground for young musicians.
His work extended beyond conducting into composition and media, with projects designed to make classical music more accessible to wider audiences. Television series such as “Keeping Score” and his involvement in initiatives like the YouTube Symphony Orchestra underscored his belief in expanding the reach of orchestral music in the digital age.
Thomas publicly disclosed in 2021 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor and returned to the stage after treatment. When the illness resurfaced in early 2025, he continued working, leading what would become his final concert with the San Francisco Symphony in April of that year. His death follows the recent loss of his husband, Joshua Robison.