The San Francisco Symphony has announced A Concert for MTT, a gala tribute celebrating the life and legacy of former Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, whose 25-year tenure transformed the orchestra into one of the world’s leading ensembles.
The concert will take place on 2 October 2026 at Davies Symphony Hall and will bring together many of Tilson Thomas’s longtime friends and artistic collaborators. Pianists Yuja Wang and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, vocalist Audra McDonald, and conductors Edwin Outwater and Teddy Abrams are among the artists announced, alongside the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, directed by Jenny Wong. Additional guests are expected, while the programme has yet to be announced.
Tilson Thomas served as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony from 1995 to 2020, a period widely regarded as one of the most successful chapters in the orchestra’s history. Under his leadership, the ensemble expanded its international profile through acclaimed tours, Grammy Award-winning recordings, innovative programming and educational initiatives, while championing American music alongside the core orchestral repertoire.
Among his most enduring achievements was the creation of the Keeping Score multimedia project, which introduced millions of listeners to classical music through television broadcasts, online resources and live performances. He also played a central role in launching the New World Symphony in Miami, helping to shape generations of young orchestral musicians.
The announcement comes as Tilson Thomas continues to receive widespread support from the music community following his diagnosis with an aggressive form of brain cancer, first disclosed in 2022. Earlier this year, he revealed that his treatment options had been exhausted and that the disease had returned, prompting an outpouring of tributes from colleagues and institutions around the world.
Subscriber presales for A Concert for MTT began on 2 July, with general ticket sales scheduled to open on 18 July. The San Francisco Symphony has described the evening as a celebration of Tilson Thomas’s “life and legacy” and his lasting impact on the orchestra and the wider musical world.
More info, here.
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