In Remembrance of Michael Tilson Thomas
Boosey & Hawkes composers pay tribute to renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who died on April 22, 2026, at the age of 81.
American conductor, composer, and pianist Michael Tilson Thomas left an indelible mark on the musical world through his extraordinary artistry and unwavering commitment to championing the music of our time. Across decades of performances, recordings, commissions, and collaborations, he became one of the defining interpreters and advocates of contemporary music.
Tilson Thomas was instrumental to bringing to life the works of many Boosey & Hawkes composers and served as a close collaborator, mentor, and champion of artists including Steve Reich, John Adams, Meredith Monk, Steven Mackey, Robin Holloway, David Del Tredici, and more. Read a selection of remembrances and tributes from several composers whose music and lives were profoundly shaped by his artistry, generosity, and fearless musical vision.
John Adams
We first met when he conducted Shaker Loops with the American Composers Orchestra in 1983. I’d originally written it for seven solo strings but made this version for full string orchestra just for that concert. A lot of new pieces have difficult childhoods. It takes time not only for performers but also for the composers to understand what the essential nature of a piece is. The performance was tentative. Michael was clearly groping to find that “essence,” and I honestly wasn’t entirely sure myself what I’d wanted.
We met for breakfast the following morning and what ensued was a conversation that made me realize how in taking up a new work, whether a classic or something never before performed, Michael is always on a search for the piece’s DNA, that critical element that generates the work’s uniqueness. That may seem like a no-brainer, but how few conductors actually ask those questions of a piece and not simply try to imitate whatever favorite recording they have of it? In later years we’d have conversations about Mahler or Stravinsky or Brahms, and I’d listen as he’d marvel at some phrase or harmonic modulation, always looking for the special skeleton key that would unlock the secret of a piece, what I came to call “the great reveal.”
Robin Holloway
The world of music owes an incalculable debt of gratitude to MTT. My personal one is threefold: for many marvelous recordings and concerts; for many stimulating conversations, charged with agreement and disagreement; and, above all, for the most handsome invitation I’ve ever had—“I want two things from you, Robin: a new orchestral piece, and an orchestration of Debussy’s en blanc et noir.” Before receiving both these, he had already given several premieres of my earlier pieces, and this continued well after: He was a real champion—for many other living composers, too. His range was wide, his tastes eclectic (not to say maverick!).
He also had the ability to communicate verbally to his audience: A few well-chosen words opened the way to explore an unknown world; then he’d turn to the players and present it with all its complexity and newness, making these clear, comprehensible, and appealing—a wonderful combination of gifts, greatly valued and greatly missed.
Meredith Monk
Michael changed my life as he did for so many others. His generosity and brilliance transformed the world. I will always be deeply grateful that he supported and championed my work. Michael convinced me to compose my first orchestra piece for the New World Symphony, a piccolo concerto for the San Francisco Symphony, and sing John Cage's Song Books along with Jessye Norman and Joan La Barbara. It was impossible to say no to his enthusiasm and powers of persuasion! I feel sure that the light of Michael's expansive vision will continue to shine for multitudes of people, affirming the power of music to heal and melt barriers of every kind. Missing Michael and Joshua terribly, I feel blessed that we were on Earth at the same time, that we shared the joy of making music together, that we were friends. May Michael and Joshua enjoy ease and peace wherever they may be!
Steven Mackey
MTT was a new generation of conductor, not cut in the mold of the old European maestro. “Eyes on me” was less a part of his approach than “listen to each other!” He jammed with the Grateful Dead, convinced Meredith Monk to compose “on” members of the orchestra as she was famous for doing with singers, and mounted epic performances of works by American iconoclasts and crackpots.
He made things happen and he had great “follow through.” After the premiere of my guitar concerto Tuck and Roll he said, “We should play it live one more time before the recording. Maybe next weekend.” He had an entirely different program scheduled for that weekend and I thought that his comment was the adrenaline talking. The next morning, I got a call from the artistic administrator booking me for the next weekend. They cancelled Beethoven. One of many “follow-through” stories.
81 years is a deep run when you consider that he sprinted the whole way. He made old music sound new, and he made new music sound familiar. He brought out some flute textures in the Eroica that could have been written today. He gave enough rehearsal time to new works so that the players could get their fingers and head around them.
Steve Reich
MTT was a great musician and a lifelong friend. He championed my music starting in 1971, when he and I and members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra performed my Four Organs in Boston and two years later in Carnegie Hall. In 1984, he conducted the world premiere performances of The Desert Music and recorded it for Nonesuch. In the early ’90s he performed and recorded Three Movements & The Four Sections with the London Symphony Orchestra. He remained a steadfast supporter through his many years leading the San Francisco Symphony performing several of my works, including a particularly amusing performance we did together of my Clapping Music.
Michael Tilson Thomas was one of the world’s finest musicians. He and Joshua Robison were both generous, exceptionally perceptive, and altogether extraordinary human beings. I will treasure their memory as long as I live.
> Listen to a playlist of recordings by Michael Tilson Thomas
Photo: Art Streiber