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Celebrated orchestra leader Michael Tilson Thomas has died

NPR | By Jeff Lunden
Published April 23, 2026 at 5:43 PM EDT

Conductor, composer and educator Michael Tilson Thomas, who led the San Francisco Symphony for 25 years, establishing its reputation as a world-class orchestra, died Wednesday. He was 81.

Copyright 2026 NPR
Jeff Lunden
Jeff Lunden is a freelance arts reporter and producer whose stories have been heard on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition, as well as on other public radio programs.
See stories by Jeff Lunden
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