Michael Tilson Thomas : NPR

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Julia Wesely/Courtesy of the artist

Yuja Wang, 'You Come Here Often?'

March 9, 2023 • Hear the powerhouse pianist barrel through a rambunctious bonbon written for her by Michael Tilson Thomas.

Our 10 Favorite Classical Albums Of 2015

The San Francisco Symphony's recording of two Beethovenian works by John Adams is one of our picks for 2015. Courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony hide caption

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Review

Our 10 Favorite Classical Albums Of 2015

December 17, 2015 • From Bach and Dvorak to new confident new composers like Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Andrew Norman, our list feels as wide-ranging, and open to possibilities, as classical music itself.

The elegant conductor Michael Tilson Thomas leading the San Francisco Symphony in a live performance from Carnegie Hall on November 13, 2013. Eric Thayer for NPR hide caption

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Eric Thayer for NPR

San Francisco Symphony In Concert

WQXR Radio

November 13, 2013 • Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas welcomes recent MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient Jeremy Denk to the piano as part of a far-reaching program. Hear Viennese classics, as well as bold American works.

100 Years After The Riot, The 'Rite' Remains

Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the San Francisco Symphony. Bill Swerbenski/San Francisco Symphony hide caption

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Bill Swerbenski/San Francisco Symphony

100 Years After The Riot, The 'Rite' Remains

May 29, 2013 • San Francisco Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas guides us through the infamous Rite of Spring premiere, the music's longevity and its surprising singability.

100 Years After The Riot, The 'Rite' Remains

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NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2012

December 22, 2012 • The albums that sum up our year span genres and borders. From Astro to Wadada Leo Smith, Fiona Apple to Frank Ocean, here are 50 albums that made 2012 great.

"ILLuminate (featuring Kendrick Lamar)"

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NPR Classical's Favorite Albums Of 2012 (So Far)

June 13, 2012 • The NPR Classical team discusses and spins a variety of favorite new discs and downloads.

NPR Classical's Favorite Albums Of 2012 (So Far)

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Around The Classical Internet: March 30, 2012

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Chris Wahlberg/courtesy of the artist

Around The Classical Internet: March 30, 2012

March 30, 2012 • Yiddish- and English-speaking mavericks, students too cool for middle school and much more: all the news that's fit to link.

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Margaretta Mitchell/courtesy of the artist

Review

The Best Classical Album of 2012?

March 27, 2012 • Hear an excerpt from a brilliant new recording of music by one of today's most essential composers — it's an early contender for Best Album of 2012.

'American Mavericks' In Performance And Conversation

Composer Meredith Monk being interviewed during the 'American Mavericks' event at The Greene Space, New York City, on March 26, 2012. Matthew Septimus/courtesy of New York Public Radio hide caption

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Matthew Septimus/courtesy of New York Public Radio

Deceptive Cadence

'American Mavericks' In Performance And Conversation

Q2

March 23, 2012 • Michael Tilson Thomas, John Adams, Meredith Monk, Jeremy Denk and the St. Lawrence String Quartet appeared in an evening of performance and conversation.

Charting Their Own Paths: Top 5 Orchestral Albums Produced In-house

In these times of instability in the recording industry, more and more Symphony Orchestras (like the Cincinnati Symphony, photographed here) are making their own albums. Cincinnati Symphony hide caption

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Cincinnati Symphony

Deceptive Cadence

Charting Their Own Paths: Top 5 Orchestral Albums Produced In-house

WGBH Radio

December 15, 2011 • Once contracted to big labels, orchestras are now releasing their own impressive recordings.

The San Francisco Symphony launches its centennial season with a concert and webcast tonight. Music director Michael Tilson Thomas (front, right) conducts. Courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony hide caption

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Courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony

Deceptive Cadence

The San Francisco Symphony At 100

September 7, 2011 • Celebrate the orchestra's centennial with recordings old and new.

Charles Ives' 'Concord' Sonata As A Symphony

Composer Henry Brant took 36 years to transform the "Concord" sonata by Charles Ives into a full-fledged symphony. SFS Media hide caption

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Review

Deceptive Cadence

Charles Ives' 'Concord' Sonata As A Symphony

May 12, 2011 • The maverick American composer spent 43 years perfecting his Piano Sonata; it took another non-conformist American, Henry Brant, another 36 years to transform it into a symphony. Hear an excerpt.

'Concord' Symphony -- The Alcotts (Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the San Francisco Symphony)

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YouTube Symphony: Multimedia Is The Message

Projections on the giant sails of the Sydney Opera House, which served as the venue for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra concert. Chris Phillips/YouTube hide caption

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Chris Phillips/YouTube

March 21, 2011 • The grand finale concert, Webcast live yesterday morning, was a satisfying marriage of technology and classical music, mixing old and new works with social media, high-tech projections and an orchestra of fresh faces culled from the Internet.

Architect Frank Gehry designed the brand new home of the New World Symphony, in Miami Beach. Claudia Uribe/New World Symphony hide caption

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Claudia Uribe/New World Symphony

Classics in Concert

The New World Symphony In Concert

American Public Media

January 25, 2011 • From its new Frank Gehry-designed concert hall in Miami Beach, Michael Tilson Thomas conducted the orchestra in music by Wagner and Copland, plus a world premiere of Polaris, by Thomas Ades.

Review

Music Reviews

City By City, A Night At The Symphony

Fresh Air

June 11, 2009 • The San Francisco, Chicago and Boston symphony orchestras have all released new live albums recently; classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz had a listen, and he has a review.

City By City, A Night At The Symphony

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The Pastoral Power of 'Appalachian Spring'

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The NPR Classical 50

The Pastoral Power of 'Appalachian Spring'

March 24, 2009 • In the 1940's, Aaron Copland developed lighter, clearer, more open textures for his ballets like Appalachian Spring. Hear critic Ted Libbey explain how the San Francisco Symphony puts those ideas across best, in a full-fledged recording.

Ted Libbey and Fred Child Recommend Aaron Copland's 'Appalachian Spring'

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Music Interviews

Charles Ives' Rambunctious 'Fourth Of July'

July 3, 2008 • Fireworks, folk songs and marching bands are just a few of the disparate elements that Charles Ives dropped into his evocative — and explosive — musical portrait of the national holiday. The festivities end as the town hall goes up in flames.

Charles Ives' Rambunctious 'Fourth Of July'

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Music News

'New World' Grads Approach a Musical Bridge

April 24, 2005 • At the New World Symphony in Miami, the challenge for young classical musicians finishing a three-year program is to find a new job in their profession. Ari Shapiro has watched the progress of symphony members over the past year. In the last of a three-part series, he reports on the challenges of transition.

'New World' Grads Approach a Musical Bridge

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At New World, Young Musicians Expand Skills

January 23, 2005 • Miami's New World Symphony offers a unique educational environment for talented young musicians. The artists have all their expenses paid while they play a concert season, build their repertoires and study with veteran conductors. But the symphony fellowships don't just stop at musical training. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.

At New World, Young Musicians Expand Skills

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Music Interviews

Michael Tilson Thomas' New World Symphony

November 21, 2004 • Some of the country's best young classical musicians congregate in Miami each year to participate in the New World Symphony. In the first of a three-part series following the symphony, NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with the orchestra's artistic director Michael Tilson Thomas.

Michael Tilson Thomas' New World Symphony

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George Gershwin in the 1930s. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons hide caption

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Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The NPR 100

'Rhapsody in Blue'

February 13, 2000 • At age 25, George Gershwin took only three weeks to compose his most identifiable masterpiece.

'Rhapsody in Blue'

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