Michael Tilson Thomas is among the most famous American-born conductors. He has a bright, extroverted personality and a wide-ranging repertoire that allows him to take a place at the forefront of experimentation with the form and content of symphonic concerts, combining his own eclectic style with various American music styles.
Tilson Thomas was born in Los Angeles in 1944. He was musically influenced by his family: his grandparents were Boris and Bessie Thomaschevsky, founders of New York's Yiddish Theater, and his father Ted Thomas was an avid amateur pianist and worked in...