Michael Tilson Thomas to Wind Down Performances Due to Resurgent Brain Cancer

After a resurgence of glioblastoma, the renowned conductor has announced that he will scale back his public appearances after a celebration of his 80th birthday with the San Francisco Symphony

In 2021, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. At first, the news resulted in multiple cancelations, but he returned to the podium later that same year. Since then, he has continued to perform internationally.

Today, the conductor has revealed that the tumor has returned. He will work with the UCSF Brain Tumor Center, in California, to treat it, "but the odds are uncertain." With this news, Thomas has decided that it's time to "wind down" his public appearances.

"The three and a half years since the initial diagnosis have been a special time in my life, filled with friends, family, and music," Thomas revealed in his statement. "They have also been challenging as I had to undergo a second operation and manage complications from the treatments that have held the tumor at bay."

"During the past year I had the opportunity to come full circle with musicians and orchestras I hold most dear," he added. "My work with the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic was very special."

His upcoming concerts include those with New World Symphony in March and, on April 26, the San Francisco Symphony will celebrate his 80th birthday.

Thomas notes that "at that point, we all get to say the old show business expression, 'It's a wrap.'"

"Joshua and I are in San Francisco with the pups, and we take occasional jaunts to Bolinas," he continued. "Our home is filled with memories of a full life. There's a keyboard on each floor and occasionally a piece by CPE Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Schumann, a Broadway melody, or one of my own tunes seem to emerge. Sometimes I can share these moments. Other times I find my own personal peace and solace."

He ends his message with, "My life's coda is generous and rich. Life is precious."

Born in 1944 in Los Angeles, Michael Tilson Thomas' career as a conductor took off at an early age. At 19, he was conducting premières of works by Boulez, Copland, Stockhausen and Stravinsky. He assisted Pierre Boulez at the Ojai Festival in California. The following decades would include Michael's appointment as assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony under William Steinberg, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, and principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In 1988, he founded and directed the Miami-based New World Symphony, and became principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra that same year. In 1995, he became music director of the San Francisco Symphony — a position he held for 25 years.

In celebration of American conductor and pianist Michael Tilson Thomas's 80th birthday this year, Sony Classical has released the Michael Tilson Thomas Box Set, an 80-CD set that collects Michael's entire discography from RCA, CBS, and Sony Classical between 1973 and 2005.