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Michael Tilson Thomas

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Conductor

The Resume

    (December 21, 1944- )
    Born in Los Angeles, California
    Music director of the Buffalo Symphony Orchestra (1971-79) and San Francisco Orchestra (1995-2020)
    Principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (1981-85)
    Principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra (1988-95)
    Founder (1987) and artistic director of the New World Symphony
    Appeared in eight episodes of PBS’s ‘Great Performances’
    Recorded over 120 albums
    Won eleven Grammys

Why he might be annoying:

    He was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport for possession of cocaine, marijuana, and amphetamines (1978).
    He stormed offstage during a performance of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony at the Hollywood Bowl when a helicopter flew overhead and disrupted the concert (1985).
    He tossed lozenges into the audience when a coughing fit disrupted a performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2013).
    The COVID-19 epidemic screwed up plans for a series of farewell concerts to mark his retirement from the San Francisco Orchestra.

Why he might not be annoying:

    As a teen, he played the piano accompaniment for master classes by violinist Jascha Heifetz and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky.
    At 24, he became the youngest conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra when he replaced an ailing William Steinberg in mid-concert.
    Leonard Bernstein said, ‘He reminds me of me at that age. Except that he knows more than I did.’
    He said his greatest musical hero was James Brown.
    He hosted a series of ‘Keeping Score’ specials on PBS, offering insight into the lives and works of great composers (2004-11).
    He received the National Medal of the Arts (2009).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 23 Votes: 52.17% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 12 Votes: 25.00% Annoying