"Music Makes a City" is a documentary produced by Owsley Brown III and Jerome Hiler. The film tells the unlikely story of the Louisville Orchestra—created out of the Great Flood of 1937—and its mission to commission and record new music. All said and done, the orchestra commissioned 52 works and recorded over 450 on LPs. It was released in 2010 in select cities and is making a national debut on PBS stations this weekend (locally, on 10 p.m.Friday onKET).Michael Tilson Thomas, music director for the San Francisco Orchestra and the New World Symphony, spoke with me recently about his own admiration for the Louisville Orchestra and its remarkable story. He also discussed how the Louisville Orchestra's new music director-designate, Teddy Abrams—who happens to be Thomas' protege and student—is the right person for the city at this point in time.Listen below for thoughts from Thomas in this chat with me and WFPL's Jonathan Bastian.Daniel Gilliam is the program director for Classical 90.5,WFPL's sister station.
