Michael Tilson Thomas was born into a distinguished artistic family: his grandparents Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky were founding members and stars of the Yiddish Theatre in New York; his father Ted Thomas was a producer with the Mercury Theater Company in New York before moving to Los Angeles where he worked in films and television; and his mother Roberta Thomas was head of research for Columbia Pictures. Michael began his musical studies with the pianist Dorothy Bishop at the University of Southern California Preparatory School when he was ten years old. He entered the University of Southern California in 1962, where he studied piano with John Crown, and conducting and composition with Ingolf Dahl. From 1963 onwards he performed many cont...