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Dear Friends,
Last week the music world saw the passing of someone I greatly admired. At the age of 81, the conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas shuffled off his mortal coil, but not without leaving the world a far better place than he found it. I was lucky enough to work closely with him at one point, and witnessed first hand how he brought a unique mixture of curiosity and humility, coupled with unparalleled drive, flair, and humour. He could be larger than life at times, but also as quiet as a mouse at others. I witnessed both. When I would see him alone looking over a musical score, I got the sense that he was saving energy for an inevitable future when his role as messenger of the music was going to need all he could give and more. He wasn't afraid of tackling the trickiest of compositions and yet took great joy in presenting the simplest ones to the world as well.
Known by many as MTT, I admired how he gave opportunities to others just by trusting his ears. He would hear something and that was enough. It wouldn't matter if the person getting the opportunity was "known", "famous", or "the next big thing". He was going by what he heard alone and gave opportunities to those his ears (his heart and mind) trusted.
Though it has been over a decade since I last worked with him, I will indeed miss him. But I know the fires that he lit will be taken on by others and will continue to burn brightly.
Thank you MTT.
Here's a beautiful article about his life:
I looked through the internet archive to find more video content for MTT that I thought you might enjoy, and while there are countless possibilities, I think this tribute to him from 2019 - when he was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors - says it all. Amongst others, you can hear Lars Ulrich (from the heavy metal band Metallica!) pay tribute to him. And if you're wondering "why is someone from Metallica honouring Michael Tilson Thomas", well... you'll have to watch this to find out. It's pretty special. Enjoy!
Have a great weekend!
Mark and the SSM Team
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