Committee backs sending ‘MTT Way’ naming for Michael Tilson Thomas to full Board

The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted Nov. 13 to forward to the full Board a resolution to add the commemorative street name "MTT Way" to the 200 block of Grove Street in recognition of Michael Tilson Thomas, music director laureate of the San Francisco Symphony.

A representative from the mayor’s office summarized Tilson Thomas’s career — including a 25-year relationship with the San Francisco Symphony, education initiatives such as Keeping Score, and 12 Grammy Awards — and asked the committee to approve the commemorative naming.

"He has won 12 Grammys for his recordings with the SF Symphony," the mayor’s office representative said, and asked for the committee’s support. Former state senator Mark Leno described Tilson Thomas’s global stature and long friendship with him. President Aaron Peskin said MTT has become "synonymous with the city and county of San Francisco" and compared his civic presence to local landmarks.

Speakers from the San Francisco Symphony urged approval. Priscilla Geaslin, chair of the Symphony’s board of governors, said she "wholeheartedly supports" the mayor’s resolution and called Tilson Thomas a "beacon of Bay Area cultural life." Matthew Spivey, the symphony’s CEO, recounted Tilson Thomas’s decades-long association with the orchestra and urged the committee to approve placing the commemorative name adjacent to Davies Symphony Hall.

Vice Chair Dean Preston moved to forward the resolution to the full Board with a positive recommendation. The clerk recorded no opposition and the motion passed. The item will advance to the full Board for final action.