12-Time Grammy Winner Michael Tilson Thomas Nominated Again, Faces Uncertain Future

By Betty Yu & Molly McCrea

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- In early March at the Louise K. Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, the audience was treated to a big, bold, and beautiful concert called "Best in Brass."

On stage, the program involved musicians with the Symphony, including Principal Trombone Tim Higgins. Brad Hogarth was the conductor. Before intermission, those in attendance heard an intriguing piece called "Street Song". The work is a continuous interweaving of three songs. It was composed by conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas and first premiered in 1988 in Tokyo.

Tilson Thomas, who is best known as "MTT," dedicated "Street Song" to his father, Ted. When the piece concluded, the audience erupted in applause.

"It starts with this like burst of energy and burst of dissonant action that is sort of suspended in time," said Hogarth.

"Michael's 'Street Song' is a complete gas. It is so much fun to play," said Higgins.

Before the concert began, the conductor and trombone player spoke to KPIX 5 about the magic and genius of MTT.  He holds many titles: he is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the New World Symphony; Music Director Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony; and Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony Orchestra.

Tilson Thomas was born in Los Angeles, but he has lived in San Francisco for decades. He is, by all accounts, larger than life.

"MTT is such a titan in the field. His recordings inspired me to be a musician," said Hogarth.

"I think Michael brought the orchestra into what modern orchestras need to represent in their community, and what an orchestra can provide for the city that it lives in," noted Higgins.

MTT has won 12 Grammy Awards. Now, he is nominated with engineer Jack Vad for another one: "Best Classical Compendium." The nominated work is "Berg: Violin Concerto, Seven Early Songs, Three Pieces for Orchestra." Alban Berg was an early 20th-century Austrian composer.

The album was recorded live at Davies Symphony Hall and performed by MTT and the San Francisco Symphony, the talented violinist Gil Shaham, and acclaimed soprano Susanna Philips. It can be heard on studio-master quality super audio CD or SACD, a digital download, and via streaming.

On his website, MTT said every moment on stage with his colleagues is memorable. He has performed with an amazing array of talent that cuts across genres: from heavy metal legends Metallica to American soprano Renee Fleming.

His final season as Music Director of the SF Symphony began with a bang: a huge opening night gala in his honor. The room was packed, and the maestro received a long, sustained standing ovation as he strode down the aisle, and jumped up on stage.

But now, the future is uncertain for the renowned musician.

Last August, MTT announced he has brain cancer. In a recent letter dated March 2nd, and posted on his website, he revealed more about his diagnosis and future plans. MTT has glioblastoma multiforme or GBM. This type of brain cancer is aggressive and fast-growing; it is almost always lethal.

Last year, MTT underwent surgery and treatment. Then, with gusto, MTT returned to work. In January, he conducted the SF Symphony in two concert programs. The rest of his 2022 schedule appears daunting. It is jam-packed with appearances from Cleveland to Prague, ending with a stop at the famed Tanglewood Music Festival.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has meant a number of changes to MTT's schedule. In early March, MTT was set to perform with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and a 20-year-old Russian piano prodigy Alexander Malofeev. In light of the invasion, the orchestra canceled Malofeev's appearances. MTT continued with the concert but without the young man's performance.

Malofeev did post a photo with MTT on his Instagram.

While MTT has not issued any statements about the invasion of Ukraine, there is a personal connection. His grandparents Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky were immigrants from Kyiv. While at the New World Symphony, in 1998 MTT created the Thomashefsky Project which celebrates the lives and legacies of his grandparents who became the founders and pioneers of American Yiddish Theatre.

With the pandemic and the Russian invasion, the importance of music is not lost on any of the musicians with whom KPIX 5 spoke. They also all point to MTT as an example of how to best connect music to an audience.

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"He deserves every accolade and more you can never sing enough praises about Michael Tilson Thomas," said San Francisco-based classical pianist and composer Jake Heggie.

Heggie is also up for a Grammy this year but in a different category known as "Best Classical Solo Vocal Album". Heggie told KPIX 5 how MTT has a genius for looking at a composition and finding the secrets within it.

"It can give us new information and perspective on our own lives," explained Heggie.

Michael Tilson Thomas is living every moment of his life doing exactly what he wants to do. In his online note, he told the public how he intends to stick around for a bit, and that he wants to continue to create and collaborate on great music. He also wrote how he will plan more time to "wonder, wander, cook, and spend more time with loved ones - two legged and four. Life is precious".