Time & Perspective Quote by Michael Tilson Thomas

Tilson Thomas slips a quiet revolution into the old myth of the maestro as solitary genius. Yes, he concedes, you are “of course a performer” - a nod to the visible part of the job, the charisma audiences pay for. But he immediately demotes that idea from identity to function. The real role, he insists, is catalytic: to “get the best performance” out of “those wonderful colleagues.”

That phrasing matters. He doesn’t say “musicians” or “subordinates.” He says colleagues, a word that reassigns status and dissolves the hierarchy that conducting can easily harden. It’s also a subtle rebuke to a certain strain of orchestral leadership built on intimidation and control. In the wake of high-profile reckonings across classical music over abusive rehearsal cultures, the line reads like both advice and corrective: authority is not license; it’s responsibility.

The subtext is pragmatic, not sentimental. An orchestra is a high-skill ecosystem where morale, trust, and clarity translate directly into sound. You can’t bully an ensemble into nuance; you can only create the conditions where risk-taking feels safe and listening becomes reflex. Tilson Thomas frames conducting as a kind of backstage performance - not for applause, but for alignment.

Contextually, it fits his public persona: a conductor long associated with institution-building, education, and a more humane, communicative rehearsal room. The intent isn’t to diminish artistry; it’s to relocate artistry in the collective. The best conductors don’t just interpret the music. They unlock the people who make it audible.