Who

Tony Tommasini is chief classical music critic for the New York Times, as well as an occasional classical pianist himself.

Backstory

Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, Tommasini was introduced to opera as a 12-year-old in 1960 when a teacher took his class to the Met's production of Tosca. He went on to Yale, where he got his BA and a master's in music, before earning a doctorate in musical arts from Boston University. Tommasini spent time teaching at Boston's Emerson University after finishing up grad school; when the school denied him tenure in 1986, he quit academia and switched to criticism, writing freelance reviews for the Boston Globe. In 1993, he moved to New York City and assumed his current gig at the Times.

Of note

As one of the most influential voices in the world of classical music, Tommasini is known for browbeating New York's institutions into modernizing their programs and productions. As a result, he's been largely supportive of Peter Gelb, the new head honcho at the Met, who's been trying to reinvigorate the dowdy opera house with new works and fresh talent. Tommasini has praised him for commissioning works from living composers and bringing non-opera performers (like Rufus Wainwright) to the stage—and he even gave Gelb points for trying when one early experiment, an opera by Tan Dun, was widely panned. Modernity, though, seems to have its limits. In recent years Tommasini has spoken out against amplification in classical music halls. And he's never been shy about expressing his dissatisfaction with a performance that isn't up to snuff. After attending one such concert in 1999 by Itzhak Perlman, he commented, "He seemed as if he would rather be home watching Law & Order."

On the side

Tommasini is the author of Virgil Thomson: Composer on the Aisle, a 1997 biography of the gay composer Virgil Thomson. He also played piano on (and produced) two recordings of Virgil Thomson's music, Virgil Thomson: Portraits And Self Portraits, and Mostly About Love: Songs & Vocal Works, both funded through National Endowment for the Arts grants.

Personal

Tommasini lives on Central Park West with his partner of nearly two decades, Columbia University psychiatrist Benjamin McCommon. A longtime activist for AIDS awareness, Tommasini has strongly advocated prominent players and conductors coming out of the closet.