"The first year I started in San Francisco, there was an American work on every program and there's been a lot of music by living composers and gradually that was part of the process of getting the audience really to trust me"

Michael Tilson Thomas is describing his experience as a conductor in San Francisco. He began his career in the city and discovered that the programs he carried out were filled with American works and music by living authors. He believes that this belonged to the process of acquiring the trust of the audience. He wanted to show the audience that he was devoted to performing music that related to them and that he was enthusiastic about the works he was performing. By performing music by living composers, he was able to demonstrate his dedication to the city and its culture. He was able to build a relationship with the audience and get their trust.