Michael Tilson Thomas, Guest Blogger

I had the chance to work with Michael Tilson Thomas at the very beginning of his career. I was ten or eleven, and he was the assistant conductor in charge of conducting the children's chorus during an unstaged performance of Alban Berg's Wozzeck at Tanglewood.

Then, when I was fourteen I got to sing in a Boston Symphony Orchestra performance he directed of Stravinsky's Canticum Sacrum and his Symphony of Psalms, along with a bunch of double choir pieces by Gabrieli and Schutz.

And now, nearing the end of his life, I still think of him as the young man I first knew (a young grown-up, because I was a young kid), even though he has made such a huge impact on the musical world since his years in Boston.

I found this Facebook post he made the other day, and for the benefit of those who are not on Facebook, I will share it here:

Dear Friends,

Three years ago, I wrote to tell you that I’m battling Glioblastoma. The three and a half years since the initial diagnosis have been a special time in my life, filled with friends, family, and music. They have also been challenging, as I had to undergo a second operation and manage complications from the treatments that have held the tumor at bay.

My doctors have informed me that the tumor has returned. We continue to work with the superb group at the UCSF Brain Tumor Center. There are treatment options, but the odds are uncertain.

Joshua and I are in San Francisco with the pups, and we take occasional jaunts to Bolinas. Our home is filled with memories of a full life. There’s a keyboard on each floor and occasionally a piece by CPE Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Schumann, a Broadway melody, or one of my own tunes seem to emerge. Sometimes I can share these moments. Other times I find my own personal peace and solace.

Now is the time to wind down my public appearances. During the past year, I had the opportunity to come full circle with musicians and orchestras I hold most dear. My work with the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic was very special. In March, I have concerts planned with the New World Symphony and, on April 26, the San Francisco Symphony is celebrating my 80th birthday. At that point, we all get to say the old show business expression, “It’s a wrap.”

A “coda” is a musical element at the end of a composition that brings the whole piece to a conclusion. A coda can vary greatly in length. My life’s coda is generous and rich.

Life is precious.

— MTT