Leonard Bernstein

About Leonard Bernstein

Brilliant, protean musical composer whose ouptut ranged from symphonies and the ballet "Fancy Free" (1943) to hit Broadway musicals "On the Town" (1944) and "West Side Story" (1957). Bernstein's film work was occasional but distinguished, notably his "On the Town" (1949), "On the Waterfront" (1954) and "West Side Story" (1961).

Partners

Wife

Felicia Bernstein. born in Chile; married 1951; separated; died of cancer 1978

Education

Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania

Boston Latin School, Boston , Massachusetts

Harvard University, Cambridge , Massachusetts

Career Milestones

1993

Honored with the renaming of 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue as Leonard Bernstein Place

1973

As Charles Eliot Norton Professor of History at Harvard, lectured on linguistics as applied to musical analysis

1958

First American-born director of New York Philharmonic

1957

Made co-director of New York Philharmonic (with Dimitri Mitropoulos)

1954

First original film score, "On the Waterfront"

1953

Was first American-born conductor to be engaged by La Scala in Milan, Italy

1949

First film credit (song composer), "On the Town"

1947

Made principal conductor of New York Philharmonic

1944

Scored first Broadway musical, "On the Town

1944

Composed first ballet score, "Fancy Free"

1943

Substituted for Bruno Walter as conductor of New York Philharmonic concert on November 14

1942

Hired by Artur Rodzinski as assistant conductor of New York Philharmonic

1942

Composed first symphony, "Jeremiah" (Symphony No. 1)

1940

Worked at Harms-Remick music publishing company, writing popular arrangements under pseudonym, Lenny Amber (Bernstein in English) (date approximate)

Played piano for musical group, The Revuers (Adolph Green, Betty Comden, Judy Holliday), at Village Vanguard, New York