Introduction To The Composer | Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein was born on August 25th, 1918 in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
He studied composition at Harvard University and conducting at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.
Bernstein was such a talented student and so well liked that a fellow student deemed him “doomed to success”
After graduating, Bernstein became the assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1944, Bernstein composed “On the Town”, the musical would run for 463 performances and paved the way for Bernstein to make his mark on broadway.
Perhaps his most famous work is the broadway musical “West Side Story” composed in 1957. The show was adapted to film and cemented Bernstein’s legacy as we know it today.
Bernstein also composed ballets as well as symphonies.
In addition to composing, he also conducted operas, working at the Metropolitan Opera House as well as many other famous opera houses around the world.
Bernstein married Chilean actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn in 1951 and together they had three children.
Leonard Bernstein passed away on October 14th, 1990 in New York City, New York at the age of 72.
