After High School (1935-1942)

Tag: After High School (1935-1942)

Leonard Bernstein’s post-high school years include four years studying music at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), two years studying conducting at Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia, PA), his first few summers at Tanglewood Music Center (Lenox, MA), several early compositions, and an appointment as the assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic (New York, NY).

Best of Bernstein: 10 Quotes for Inspiring and Motivating Musicians and Artists (and Every One Who Dares to Hope and Dream)

Need a little inspiration? Look no further: Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), the great American-born and -trained conductor and composer, educator and humanitarian, spoke volumes in words and deeds: from understanding loss and disappointment, to persisting amid frustration (and fame), to devoting concerts to social causes. Here are ten of our favorite quotes (for musicians and the rest of us).

O-N-C-O-L-O-G-Y and Soap: “Acquiring Knowledge” by Leonard Bernstein, a Lifelong Learner

These two Leonard Bernstein poems from 1939 and 1990 reveal a lifetime of longing for knowledge and meaning from everything: from a bar of soap to battling cancer. Read:

‘Til Time Shall End’: Bernstein on Meeting Copland (Audio Exclusive)

"Did I tell you how we met on his birthday?" Bernstein says to the interviewer. "Oh, I must have!" Listen to Lenny tell the story of meeting Aaron Copland, only on Classical.org. (Plus, read the sonnet he wrote for Aaron's 80th birthday!)

Letters from Bernstein: The First Summer at Tanglewood, 1940

"These last six weeks have been the happiest and most productive of my life," writes twenty-two-year-old Leonard Bernstein to Serge Koussevitzky, following a momentous summer at Tanglewood Music Festival in 1940.

Understanding Serge Koussevitzky and Leonard Bernstein: A Primer

So how did Leonard Bernstein meet Serge Koussevitzky, and how did Koussevitzky decide to take Bernstein under his wing? Find out more in this primer.

Bernstein on Koussevitzky, the Boston Symphony’s “Benign Tyrant” (Audio Exclusive)

Leonard Bernstein describes Serge Koussevitzky to interviewer John Gruen during the summer of 1967. Listen to tapes Gruen recorded as notes for his biography of Bernstein, made available to the public this year, only on Classical.org, official digital partner of the Bernstein Centennial.

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