Press Coverage
“You’d like M.T.T.; he’s as gifted with the baton as he is with his knack for demystifying classical music, in a manner that will remind those of a certain age of wunderkind conductor Leonard Bernstein (Thomas’ mentor and hero) during his educationally inspirational Young People’s Concerts on CBS from 1958 to 1972.” - Michael Davis, TV Guide
"Tubby the Tuba is too tired. Leonard Bernstein is two-dimensional. And classical music needs new fans. So along comes Michael Tilson Thomas, the 61-year-old San Francisco Symphony music director with a passion for his subject, a gift for gab and a gee-whiz multimedia project." - Martin Steinberg, Associated Press
“The field of classical music has long been waiting for some musician to come along who could use television with Bernstein’s galvanizing impact. The closest, it seemed, has been the dynamic maestro Michael Tilson Thomas, a natural who has masterminded some impressive shows.” - Anthony Tommasini, New York Times
“Appearing almost heron-like, with flashing eyes and a dynamic nose, he radiates a sense of joy and amazement with the work.” - Dave Shiflett, Bloomberg News
"Updating the role played by one of his heroes, Leonard Bernstein in his Young People's Concerts, New World Symphony musical director, Michael Tilson Thomas is undertaking Keeping Score, an ambitious multi-media project designed to make classical music accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds." - Enrique Fernandez, The Miami Herald
"This could be described as educational, but that's a pretty dry word. It's an undertaking that will allow music lovers to crawl inside the heads of the composers; perch upon the shoulder of conductor Michael Tilson Thomas; creep around the stage studying the faces and fingers of the musicians; peer at the score while a pointer marks the place being played; become historically immersed in the time and place in which the music was introduced; taste whether the composer ate rye bread or wheat for breakfast the morning he added F-Sharp (well, not really); and at the same time listen, listen, listen which is the point of the Symphony after all. - Leah Garchik, San Francisco Chronicle - more - ”If you think classical music is stuffy and old-fashioned, think again. Thanks to the San Francisco Symphony and music director Michael Tilson Thomas (above), people of all ages and backgrounds soon will be able to hear and learn about classical music in a variety of high-tech ways.” - Denise Story, Hemispheres Magazine (United Airlines In-Flight Publication)
“Giving first-rate, exciting orchestral performances is job one for Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. But as the cultural landscape continues to shift around us, it becomes ever clearer that classical music needs something more. And so we have ‘Keeping Score,’ the orchestra’s multiyear, multimedia project designed to help folks learn just what this is all about – music appreciation, more or less, except livelier and more engrossing than most of what passes under that name.” - Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
“It’s a nod to music appreciation at the highest level, providing great showcase for the symphony and several of its principal musicians who perform key sections of the works.” - Ken Garcia, San Francisco Examiner
“Here at Classical Notes, we don’t often advise you to stay home and watch TV – we like live performance too much – but the San Francisco Symphony’s “Keeping Score” series is a good reason to curl up on the couch.” - Georgia Rowe, Contra Costa Times
“Roll over Beethoven and e-mail Tchaikovsky the news. Classical music has entered the digital age and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas is leading the charge.” - Mark de la Vina, San Jose Mercury News
“Few things make me happier than hearing about exciting new efforts to introduce children – and adults – to classical music. The buzz for months now has been about a new multi-dimensional program from San Francisco Symphony and its music director Michael Tilson Thomas.” - Judith White, The Saratogian
“If there’s one thing television does exceptionally well, it’s to provide a visual and aural date stamp for a person’s moment of being the most impressionable. That’s why I was encouraged to recently discover that Michael Tilson Thomas was remaking a Young People’s Concert series for contemporary audiences called Keeping Score […]” - Belinda Acosta, Austin Chronicle
“Tilson Thomas, in his 11th year with the San Francisco Symphony, is gracious, relaxed, informative, and good-humored – the best face in music education since Leonard Bernstein.” - Sally Vallongo, Toledo Blade
“Since the death of Leonard Bernstein in 1990, no one has taken up the mantle of conductor as teacher to more mesmerizing effect than Tilson Thomas. He is a born communicator who is at ease sharing the wonders of music and the worlds of their composers.” - Don Rosenberg, The Plain Dealer
“This is a man who loves and understands this music, and can encourage neophyte viewers to take a chance on it, too. There's not a hint of pretentiousness in Thomas' presentation of the Eroica, just pure engagement.” - Greg Stepanich, Palm Beach Post - more - “Tell your friends and save the dates: if you have any interest in the future of the symphonic tradition in this country, Keeping Score will become happily mandatory viewing.” - Philip Campbell, Bay Area Reporter
“Great TV is rare enough that it does not go unnoticed, and MTT and the SF symphony re-upped for a new series of TV shows, which starts tonight on KQED with an episode of Keeping Score about Beethoven’s Eroica symphony, aka MTT goes to Vienna.” - SFist (Blog)
“This is an outstanding example of how technology, and the communications media it creates, can be used to enrich an already existing masterpiece of music. The website really does add a new dimension to experiencing these works, especially in the sections where you actually follow the score, along with a small video of the orchestra performing the work, and short narrative descriptions (fanciful though they are) that draw the listener's ear (and perception) to important elements. - The Loose Filter Project: Commentary and Talk Back (Blog)
“This is an astounding Flash application that explores the score of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony in real time as you listen to the performance. It’s simply brilliant. I can’t describe it adequately, but you should explore it, even if you don’t have any particular interest in classical music. A masterpiece of educational technology.” - Dan Lovejoy, Dan and Agi have something to say (Blog)
“This is the most pretty thing I ever saw on the internet, play every score you like and discover the secrets behind it.” - Roads to Iraq (Blog)
“Too bad they didn't have stuff like this when I took music appreciation in college.” - John Walkenbach, J-Walk Blog (Blog)
“This is probably the best interactive website I’ve seen.” - Planetwater (Blog)
“I luckily stumbled aross by far themost creative, informative and absolutely satisfying programs on television that I’ve seen in a very long time. Presented by Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, this series not only explores and reveals the many intricacies of some of the msot popular symphonies, but truly and passionately portrays every note for its real meaning.” - Insert Clever Blog Title (Blog)
“I spent a little time surfing around the Beethoven portion of the site and found it fascinating and very informative.” -Steve Hicken, Listen 101 (Blog)