Michael Tilson Thomas leads the San Francisco Symphony in a farewell concert that also marked his 80th birthday, at Davies Symphony Hall, April 26. Photo by Stefan Cohen/San Francisco Symphony.
In Monday’s (4/28) San Francisco Chronicle, Tony Bravo writes, “San Francisco Civic Center was awash in blue, from City Hall to Davies Symphony Hall, where various shades could be seen throughout as fans donned the favorite color of San Francisco Symphony Music Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas in honor of his 80th birthday. Every seat in the full house also had a blue bandana for attendees, who enthusiastically waved the souvenir in the air once Thomas walked onstage Saturday, April 26—which San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie declared ‘Michael Tilson Thomas Day’—to be feted for his 51 years of contributions to the classical music scene locally and beyond…. Thomas … joined the San Francisco Symphony as music director in 1995 and retired from the position in 2020 … In 2021, Thomas revealed he was diagnosed with … an aggressive form of brain cancer, and underwent surgery and treatment … Since then, he has guest conducted at Davies and elsewhere … But in February, he announced that his brain tumor had returned, and that his 80th birthday concert would be his final farewell to performing…. The two-act program was produced by [his husband, Joshua] Robison … and featured new arrangements of works by Thomas as well as sentimental favorites from his long career … Teddy Abrams and Edwin Outwater shared conducting duties with the maestro.”
