Michael Tilson Thomas

"After sex, drugs and rock and roll what will be left? The answer is classical music."

With Lady Gaga and Big Boi streaming over the radio most people don't realize that classical music isn't a thing of the past and that it is still being composed and performed for all types of audiences today. Michael Tilson Thomas is and American conductor, composer and piano player. He is currently the music director for the San Francisco Symphony. 

Tilson Thomas was born into a musically oriented family and thus was thrown into the world of music at a young age. In 1969 Thomas made his conducting debut by replacing the regular maestro for the Boston Symphony Orchestra mid-show, and he hasn't looked back since. With ten Grammys under his belt Tilson Thomas has conducted for a number of orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. 

He is by no means boring and has worked with many popular artists such as the Grateful Dead. In 1996, he worked with the remaining members to fuse rock and classical music in their first performance after band member Jerry Garcia's death. The show was performed in San Francisco's Symphony Hall and the show surprised both the Grateful Dead and the Orchestra's fans. "It was a huge event that was beyond categorization." Tilson said that "People from the classical world didn't know what to think and people from the rock and roll world didn't know what to think- it was a fusion of so many things."

Michael has also reached out to young musicians by founding the New World Symphony Orchestra. This is an orchestra academy located in Maimi, FL. It is America's only full-time orchestral academy which is dedicated to preparing gifted graduates for successful careers in symphony orchestras and ensembles. There are currently more than 600 New World alumni in 167 orchestras in 17 countries. For his work with young people and other musicians President Obama has awarded him with the National Medal of Arts, which is the highest award given to artists by the United States government.

Why is classical music something we should care about? Classical is one of the oldest forms of music, dating back as early as 1000 AD. Major time periods in which classical music has dominated the popular culture were the Medieval (476–1400) and Renaissance (1400–1600), Classical (1730–1820) and Romantic (1815–1910) periods. There is also a modern and contemporary period, which includes 20th century classical. 

Traditionally, classical music has used orchestra instruments and solo instruments such as piano and harp. In more recent years contemporary classical has used electric instruments and even synthesizers. Classical music shares a lot of influences from the early Greeks and mathematician Pythagoras perfected the musical scale. Classical music is also responsible for serenades, which can be equated with today's love songs. Composer Brahm is responsible for some of the first ‘drinking songs.' Who's to say we don't need classical music when it has influenced, directly or indirectly some of the music we hear today.