Michael Tilson Thomas

Michael Tilson Thomas (also shortened to MTT) is a conductor, pianist and composer from Los Angeles who has risen to become one of the most esteemed and well-regarded American conductors alive today. Having worked as a music director and guest conductor for several world-renowned American orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra, MTT would eventually take over the music directorship of the San Francisco Symphony in 1995, where he has been ever since. Since then, MTT has gone on to release several award-winning and critically acclaimed recordings of works by canonical classical composers, as well as compositions by contemporary American composers, and in 2009, President Barack Obama awarded the conductor with the National Medal of the Arts for his contributions to American musical arts.