San Francisco to Honor Michael Tilson Thomas by Dedicating a Street to Him

A block in the central city will be named "MTT Way" in recognition of Tilson Thomas's outstanding service to music in the city

The city of San Francisco and its mayor, London N. Breed, have decided to name a central street after conductor Michael Tilson Thomas — in recognition of the outstanding musical service he gave the city over the course of his 25-year tenure as the Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony.

The street, which will be known as "MTT Way," will be on what is currently called Grove Street, on the block between Franklin Street and Van Ness Avenue. A sign displaying the new street name will hang underneath the current Grove St sign.

Michael Tilson Thomas's name is virtually synonymous with that of the San Francisco Symphony, on account of the outstanding work he undertook with the orchestra during his time there. The recordings from that period, many of which were released on the orchestra's in-house label, SFS Media, have collectively garnered 12 GRAMMY Awards.

In addition, Tilson Thomas greatly expanded the scope of the orchestra's education and outreach programs — including the making of the Keeping Score multimedia series in 2004.

“The story of the classical music, arts, and culture scenes in San Francisco is intertwined with the artistic journey of Michael Tilson Thomas,” said Mayor Breed. “Today, we not only recognize him as a vital part of the cultural makeup of the City, we also celebrate the fact that he has been San Francisco’s proud ambassador on the world stage.” 

“What a tremendous honor, and what fantastic fun,” said Michael Tilson Thomas. “I will always treasure that symphony goers will pick up their Davies Symphony Hall tickets, and that Ballet and Opera goers will get their after-performance transportation on ‘MTT Way.’ I am honored for this recognition, and I thank the City and County of San Francisco and Mayor Breed for their contributions to the arts and to my life.”