At age twenty-five he became the youngest assistant conductor in the history of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He was music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra from 1971 to 1979, principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1981 to 1985, with the London Symphony Orchestra from 1988 to 1995, and has been full-time conductor and musical director of the San Francisco Symphony since 1995.
In 1995 he was named Conductor of the Year by the Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts.
In May 2001 Tilson-Thomas conducted the premiere of Del Tredici’s Gay Life, a series of pieces he commissioned that are based on poems by Allen GINSBERG, Thom GUNN, and Paul MONETTE. The work explores the experiences of gay men in the US and delves into the challenges that they have faced in their struggle to survive the AIDS epidemic.
The Bay Area Reporter named Michael Tilson-Thomas one of the ten most powerful gay men and lesbians in San Francisco—even before he took over as conductor of the San Francisco Symphony. Tilson-Thomas has long been regarded as one of the finest conductors in America and is famous for his flamboyant high-energy style. In 1968 he won the Koussevitzky Conducting Prize at the Berkshire Music Center. Tilson Thomas lives in San Francisco with his partner of thirty years (as of 2008), Joshua Robison.
Stern, Keith. Queers in History: The Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Historical Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals. Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.
Further Readings:
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Faber & Faber (August 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0571167381
ISBN-13: 978-0571167388
Amazon: Michael Tilson Thomas: Viva Voce
A musician of imagination and finesse, Michael Tilson Thomas is the Principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Artistic Director of the New World Symphony. Next year he takes up the position of Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony. This book is based upon conversations between the conductor and Edward Seckerson and ranges in content from essays on championed works by Russian, European and American composers, including Tchaikovsky, Mahler and Charles Ives, to accounts of the conductor's exotically crowded childhood and early association with, for instance, musicians like Bernstein, Stravinsky and Copland. Not least the book offers insights into the arts of conducting, from baton technique to orchestral tact, and of bringing the classical and contemporary repertoire to a wider audience.
More Real Life Romances at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Real Life Romance
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