Michael Tilson Thomas (1944-2026)

We are very sad to learn of the death of Michael Tilson Thomas, so soon after the death of his lifelong partner Joshua Robison. He was extraordinarily brave in continuing to conduct in spite of the brain cancer which was diagnosed in 2021 and which he openly acknowledged. His last concert with the LSO - a remarkable performance of Mahler 2 - was in October 2024. I knew him for well over 40 years, and worked with him many times when he was the LSO’s principal conductor in the 1980s and 1990s, and subsequently in San Francisco and in Miami, where his New World Symphony will be a lasting legacy. He recorded for us twice - Dominic Muldowney’s Oboe Concerto in 1994 and Robin Holloway’s Third Concerto for Orchestra in 1997, and he is also represented by re-releases of Simon Bainbridge’s Viola Concerto and several pieces of mine, originally on Collins Classics.

Colin Matthews, NMC Founder & Executive Producer