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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.

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US / World All Things Considered

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.