Person

Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990

1918-1990

Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts to Ukranian Jewish parents, this enormously talented American musician - composer, conductor and pianist - was a major 20th century cultural personality. His compositions include symphonic and orchestral music, ballet, film and theatre music, choral works, opera, chamber music and works for the piano.

Bernstein attended Harvard University where he studied music and graduated with a BA cum laude, then continued his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music. After his first year he went to Tanglewood where he studied conducting with Sergei Koussevitsky whose emotional style of interpreting music influenced him. Other musicians whose work had an impact on him include Aaron Copland, Ravel, George Gershwin and Gustav Mahler.

Highlights of his career include Broadway’s West Side Story and being the first American-born conductor to lead a major orchestra, the New York Philharmonic. He had just been appointed assistant conductor in 1943 when he shot to fame replacing an ailing Bruno Walter at short notice and without rehearsal in a nationally broadcast CBS radio performance. Ten years later he was the first American conductor to appear at La Scala in Milan, conducting Maria Callas in Cherubini's Medea. He conducted many of the world's major orchestras, often conducting piano concertos from the keyboard and was the first to share and explore music on television with a mass audience in national and international broadcasts. Through his educational efforts, including several books and the creation of two major international music festivals, he influenced several generations of young musicians, leaving a significant legacy of audio and video recordings.

A great humanitarian, Bernstein worked in support of civil rights and advocated for nuclear disarmament and raised money for HIV/AIDS research and awareness. His many honors include eleven Emmy Awards, one Tony Award, and seventeen Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement, and the Kennedy Center Honor.