Latest news with #UCSFBrainTumorCenter
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michael Tilson Thomas announces his brain cancer has returned
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Celebrated conductor and San Francisco Symphony Music Director Laureate announced he will retire from performing following the return of a brain tumor he's been battling. In a statement posted to his website, Tilson Thomas said he had undergone a second operation to manage complications from treating the tumor. 'Three years ago, I wrote to tell you that I'm battling Glioblastoma,' Tilson Thomas said. '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.' Tilson Thomas' doctors, he went on to say, had informed him that the tumor has returned. While the conductor said he would continue to work with the 'superb group' at the UCSF Brain Tumor Center, he admitted that 'the odds are uncertain.' Historic SF concert venue completes multi-million-dollar renovation 'Now is the time to wind down my public appearances,' he said. 'During the past year, I had the opportunity to come full circle with musicians and orchestras I hold most dear,' he said. 'My work with the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic was very special.' The conductor said he has concerts planned for March with the New World Symphony and then, on April 26, one final concert with the SF Symphony in celebration of his 80th birthday. 'At that point,' he continued, '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,' he added. 'A coda can vary greatly in length. My life's coda is generous and rich.' 'Life is precious,' the statement concluded. Born in Los Angeles, Tilson Thomas was first appointed Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony in 1995. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Michael Tilson Thomas says brain tumor has returned, announces final performances in Miami, San Francisco
Famed conductor and longtime director of the San Francisco Symphony Michael Tilson Thomas announced that his brain tumor has returned and that he is planning to lead his final performance in April. "My doctors have informed me that the tumor has returned," he said in a statement posted on his website Monday. Thomas first announced in Aug. 2021 that he had been battling glioblastoma, which required immediate brain surgery. "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," he said, noting a second surgery and additional treatments were also needed. Thomas said he is continuing to work with the UCSF Brain Tumor Center and said there are treatment options but noted that the "odds are uncertain." He went on to say that he is planning to wind down his public appearances in the next couple of months. Thomas is set to lead performances of the New World Symphony in Miami on the weekend of March 29 and 30, followed by performances on April 5 and 6. On April 26, Thomas is set to lead the San Francisco Symphony in a performance celebrating his 80th birthday. "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," Thomas said. "Life is precious." A winner of 12 Grammy awards, Thomas directed the San Francisco Symphony from 1995 to 2020 and co-founded the New World Symphony in 1987.
