San Francisco Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas Passes Away

Photo Credit: Michael Tilson Thomas (michaeltilsonthomas.com)

Michael Tilson Thomas, a longtime conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, as well as a storied composer and pianist, has passed away. He was 81.

Michael Tilson Thomas, a conductor, composer, and pianist who spent 25 years as music director of the San Francisco Symphony, passed away on Wednesday at his San Francisco home. He died of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, his publicist confirmed. He was 81.

“It is with deep sadness that we let you know of Michael Tilson Thomas’ passing on April 22, 2026,” began a statement on his website. “Through his illness, he continued to make music—a testament to his legacy as an artist and communicator. He was preceded in death by his husband, Joshua Robison, and passed away at home surrounded by loved ones and family. Joshua and Michael are survived by their sisters, nieces, and nephews.”

In the summer of 2021, Thomas announced that he had undergone surgery for a brain tumor. In March 2022, he announced that he had been diagnosed with glioblastoma.

He was forced to cancel some scheduled performances as a result, but he led a number of concerts in San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, and more, over the past three years. In September 2024, he opened the New York Philharmonic’s season with a celebrated account of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. He also began teaching at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Last February, he announced that his tumor had returned and he conducted his last performance in April 2025 that coincided with a belated celebration of his 80th birthday in San Francisco.

Thomas served as music director at the San Francisco Symphony from 1995 to 2020 and was by far the orchestra’s longest-serving music director. He won 12 Grammy awards, and the San Francisco Symphony achieved new levels of technical acumen.

Thomas studied at the University of Southern California with composer Ingolf Dahl, and it was there that he took up conducting. He worked with Igor Stravinsky and other major composers during this time. In addition to Stravinsky, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein became friends and mentors to Thomas when he was in his 20s.

In the 1970s, while living in New York, Thomas was contacted by his childhood friend Robison via his sister, noted flutist Paula Robison. By 1976, Thomas and Robison had become life partners, while Robison was also Thomas’ business partner and manager. The couple married in 2014.

Robison passed away on February 22, 2026, after having suffered a spinal cord injury last August. The two were partners for nearly 50 years.