Boris Thomashefsky, left, the grandfather of Michael Tilson Thomas, was with his wife Bessie a titan of the Yiddish theater; at right, Tilson Thomas with his mentor, Leonard Bernstein, in 1988 at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where both musicians conducted and taught throughout their careers. (Wikipedia; Walter Scott\/Courtesy Boston Symphony Orchestra)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It\u2019s an homage to his immigrant grandparents, Boris and Bessie, who, in the early years of the 20th century became trailblazing performers and producers of Yiddish theater on New York\u2019s Lower East Side.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandparents became megastars, in their new country. The Yiddish theatre was central to their lives,\u201d Tilson Thomas wrote. \u201cThe Thomashefskys,\u201d performed internationally, expressed Tilson Thomas\u2019s pride in his Jewish roots, according to Joshua Jacobson, founder and artistic director of Zamir Chorale of Boston and a scholar of Jewish music.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn\u2019t hiding the fact that he is Jewish. In fact, he was doing programs about it,\u201d Jacobson said.<\/p>\n
In 1987, Tilson Thomas launched the New World Symphony in Miami; his vision was to create an orchestra that offered young musicians an opportunity to navigate the transition between their academic studies and establishing their careers. He now serves as its artistic director laureate.<\/p>\n
Such career transitions were a widely acknowledged problem, according to Howard Herring, the orchestra\u2019s CEO.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael had a solution \u2014 the concept that became the New World Symphony,\u201d Herring wrote in an email.<\/p>\n
The strength of the idea attracted the attention of Ted and Lin Arison, Jewish philanthropists and supporters of the arts who became the orchestra\u2019s co-founders. (Ted Arison, an Israeli businessman who made his fortune in cruise lines, died in 1999.)<\/p>\n
That same year, in 1987, Tilson Thomas made the first of two tours of Israel \u2014 spearheaded by the Arisons and their foundation \u2014 conducting the Israel Philharmonic. He next conducted there in 2018, for the celebration of the nation\u2019s 70th anniversary.<\/p>\n
Many consider his passion for nurturing new generations of musicians among his most enduring legacies. Among them is Teddy Abrams, the conductor of the Louisville Orchestra, who studied with Tilson Thomas in the early years of his career.<\/p>\n
Abrams, who is Jewish, credits Tilson Thomas with encouraging him to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a conductor, when Abrams was just 9 years old.<\/p>\n
He went on to study with the maestro, who became his mentor.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve remained as close as family, Abrams said last month at Boston\u2019s Symphony Hall, when the 37-year-old made his debut with the BSO, conducting Leonard Bernstein\u2019s Symphonic Dances from \u201cWest Side Story\u201d on the stage where Tilson Thomas started his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s one of the most important educators alive,\u201d Abrams said.<\/p>\n
For both Abrams and Tilson Thomas, their Jewish identities are cultural, through music, going back generations. Their families were both from Eastern Europe, Hungary and Russia.<\/p>\n
Among Tilson Thomas\u2019s Jewish-themed compositions, Abrams is most drawn to \u201cFrom the Diary of Anne Frank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a standout masterpiece. It is extremely powerful. I hope it\u2019s a piece that everybody gets a chance to hear, especially in these times. I think it will be one of his major legacy works,\u201d said Abrams, who recently steered the Louisville Orchestra to perform an opera that its former concertmaster once performed in a Nazi concentration camp.<\/p>\n
As Tilson Thomas\u2019s public performances draw to a close, Abrams sees the deep satisfaction his friend and mentor is experiencing in his work.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing on the podium is where he belongs. I think he\u2019s at his personal happiest,\u201d Abrams reflected. \u201cThere\u2019s no pressure. He is making music in the purest sense. I can see how much joy that brings him.\u201d<\/p>\n
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