Michael Tilson Thomas, renowned conductor and composer, dies at 81

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April 24, 2026

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editor@creativeunderworld.com

Michael Tilson Thomas conducts a performance of CoplandAppalachian Spring by The Boston Symphony Orchestra in Lenox, Mass. in 2018. Thomas, who led the San Francisco Symphony for 25 years, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2021.’/>

Thomas led the San Francisco Symphony from 1995 to 2020, helping to establish its reputation as a world-class orchestra. In 2021, he was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer.

(Image credit: Paul Marotta)