Leonard Bernstein
@leonardbernstein.com
World-renowned musician 🎹, composer ✍🏼, conductor 🎫, educator 🎼, and humanitarian 🕊🌎 | (August 25, 1918 - October 14, 1990)
www.leonardbernstein.com
www.leonardbernstein.com
35 years ago, we said goodbye to the Maestro.
[Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times]
[Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times]
October 14, 2025 at 2:23 PM
35 years ago, we said goodbye to the Maestro.
[Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times]
[Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times]
"I've always been very lucky with my teachers; all (my) teachers loved to teach, thus teaching us to love to learn. I'm still learning; it's my favorite activity."
- Leonard Bernstein
December 4, 1986
[📸Leonard Bernstein looks over score with mentor Serge Koussevitzky, February 14, 1944]
- Leonard Bernstein
December 4, 1986
[📸Leonard Bernstein looks over score with mentor Serge Koussevitzky, February 14, 1944]
August 26, 2025 at 2:53 PM
"I've always been very lucky with my teachers; all (my) teachers loved to teach, thus teaching us to love to learn. I'm still learning; it's my favorite activity."
- Leonard Bernstein
December 4, 1986
[📸Leonard Bernstein looks over score with mentor Serge Koussevitzky, February 14, 1944]
- Leonard Bernstein
December 4, 1986
[📸Leonard Bernstein looks over score with mentor Serge Koussevitzky, February 14, 1944]
Happy Birthday, Lenny! 🥳
[📸 Birthday welcome for Leonard Bernstein upon arrival in Osaka, 1970. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Digital Archives.]
[📸 Birthday welcome for Leonard Bernstein upon arrival in Osaka, 1970. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Digital Archives.]
August 25, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Happy Birthday, Lenny! 🥳
[📸 Birthday welcome for Leonard Bernstein upon arrival in Osaka, 1970. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Digital Archives.]
[📸 Birthday welcome for Leonard Bernstein upon arrival in Osaka, 1970. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Digital Archives.]
Happy #WorldPhotographyDay!
[📸Leonard Bernstein at a press conference, 1960s. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Digital Archives]
[📸Leonard Bernstein at a press conference, 1960s. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Digital Archives]
August 19, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Happy #WorldPhotographyDay!
[📸Leonard Bernstein at a press conference, 1960s. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Digital Archives]
[📸Leonard Bernstein at a press conference, 1960s. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Digital Archives]
It's #ThrowbackThursday! Caption this photo! 📸
[Leonard Bernstein, 1962. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Archives.]
[Leonard Bernstein, 1962. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Archives.]
August 14, 2025 at 4:28 PM
It's #ThrowbackThursday! Caption this photo! 📸
[Leonard Bernstein, 1962. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Archives.]
[Leonard Bernstein, 1962. Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Archives.]
"When one is in the private composing life, one is alone. And one sees friends, and one has one's much loved family, and so it wouldn't seem to be all that alone, but the compositorial process is very lonely."
-Leonard Bernstein, Reflections (1977)
-Leonard Bernstein, Reflections (1977)
July 23, 2025 at 1:20 PM
"When one is in the private composing life, one is alone. And one sees friends, and one has one's much loved family, and so it wouldn't seem to be all that alone, but the compositorial process is very lonely."
-Leonard Bernstein, Reflections (1977)
-Leonard Bernstein, Reflections (1977)
Discovery's Shark Week strikes a slightly different chord at our office. Happy #SharkWeek from The Leonard Bernstein Office!
July 20, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Discovery's Shark Week strikes a slightly different chord at our office. Happy #SharkWeek from The Leonard Bernstein Office!
Happy World Listening Day! 🎧What are you listening to today?
"I know that when I listened to music, I felt something stir within me, as though I were becoming subconsciously aware of music as my raison d'être.”
-Leonard Bernstein
[📸Don Hunstein, courtesy of Sony Classical.]
"I know that when I listened to music, I felt something stir within me, as though I were becoming subconsciously aware of music as my raison d'être.”
-Leonard Bernstein
[📸Don Hunstein, courtesy of Sony Classical.]
July 18, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Happy World Listening Day! 🎧What are you listening to today?
"I know that when I listened to music, I felt something stir within me, as though I were becoming subconsciously aware of music as my raison d'être.”
-Leonard Bernstein
[📸Don Hunstein, courtesy of Sony Classical.]
"I know that when I listened to music, I felt something stir within me, as though I were becoming subconsciously aware of music as my raison d'être.”
-Leonard Bernstein
[📸Don Hunstein, courtesy of Sony Classical.]
Today is National Hot Dog Day, but we’re celebrating the non-grill variety, namely the dachshund, or Wiener dog!
Leonard Bernstein was passionate about the many dachshund he owned, all named Henry.
[Photo by Walter Alford. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.]
Leonard Bernstein was passionate about the many dachshund he owned, all named Henry.
[Photo by Walter Alford. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.]
July 16, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Today is National Hot Dog Day, but we’re celebrating the non-grill variety, namely the dachshund, or Wiener dog!
Leonard Bernstein was passionate about the many dachshund he owned, all named Henry.
[Photo by Walter Alford. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.]
Leonard Bernstein was passionate about the many dachshund he owned, all named Henry.
[Photo by Walter Alford. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.]
“A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers.”
Leonard Bernstein
A Sabbatical Report, Infinite Variety of Music, 1962
Leonard Bernstein
A Sabbatical Report, Infinite Variety of Music, 1962
July 10, 2025 at 1:09 PM
“A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers.”
Leonard Bernstein
A Sabbatical Report, Infinite Variety of Music, 1962
Leonard Bernstein
A Sabbatical Report, Infinite Variety of Music, 1962
"What art itself can do is move people to an extent whereby they can wake up and be active."
-Leonard Bernstein, 1977
[📸 © Arthur Umboh/Deutsche Grammophon]
-Leonard Bernstein, 1977
[📸 © Arthur Umboh/Deutsche Grammophon]
June 30, 2025 at 4:53 PM
"What art itself can do is move people to an extent whereby they can wake up and be active."
-Leonard Bernstein, 1977
[📸 © Arthur Umboh/Deutsche Grammophon]
-Leonard Bernstein, 1977
[📸 © Arthur Umboh/Deutsche Grammophon]
Happy World Music Day! 🎶
“When we touch one another through music, we are touching the heart, the mind, and the spirit, all at once.”-Leonard Bernstein
How are you making music today?
[📸 Courtesy of Sony Classical]
“When we touch one another through music, we are touching the heart, the mind, and the spirit, all at once.”-Leonard Bernstein
How are you making music today?
[📸 Courtesy of Sony Classical]
June 21, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Happy World Music Day! 🎶
“When we touch one another through music, we are touching the heart, the mind, and the spirit, all at once.”-Leonard Bernstein
How are you making music today?
[📸 Courtesy of Sony Classical]
“When we touch one another through music, we are touching the heart, the mind, and the spirit, all at once.”-Leonard Bernstein
How are you making music today?
[📸 Courtesy of Sony Classical]
Today we wish a very happy 90th birthday to double bassist Orin O'Brien!
Orin O'Brien became a member of the New York Philharmonic in 1966, during Leonard Bernstein's time as music director.
[📸 O'Brien & Bernstein, Oct 1989. Photo by Ron Barnell, courtesy of the New York Phil Digital Archives.]
Orin O'Brien became a member of the New York Philharmonic in 1966, during Leonard Bernstein's time as music director.
[📸 O'Brien & Bernstein, Oct 1989. Photo by Ron Barnell, courtesy of the New York Phil Digital Archives.]
June 7, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Today we wish a very happy 90th birthday to double bassist Orin O'Brien!
Orin O'Brien became a member of the New York Philharmonic in 1966, during Leonard Bernstein's time as music director.
[📸 O'Brien & Bernstein, Oct 1989. Photo by Ron Barnell, courtesy of the New York Phil Digital Archives.]
Orin O'Brien became a member of the New York Philharmonic in 1966, during Leonard Bernstein's time as music director.
[📸 O'Brien & Bernstein, Oct 1989. Photo by Ron Barnell, courtesy of the New York Phil Digital Archives.]
May 4, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Happy Wild Koala Day!🐨💕🐨 #WildKoalaDay is a day to celebrate wild koalas and protect their habitats.
[📸Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane, Australia, 1974, courtesy of New York Philharmonic Digital Archives]
[📸Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane, Australia, 1974, courtesy of New York Philharmonic Digital Archives]
May 3, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Happy Wild Koala Day!🐨💕🐨 #WildKoalaDay is a day to celebrate wild koalas and protect their habitats.
[📸Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane, Australia, 1974, courtesy of New York Philharmonic Digital Archives]
[📸Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane, Australia, 1974, courtesy of New York Philharmonic Digital Archives]
We invite you to read the Bernstein Family’s Guest Essay, published today in The New York Times.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/o...
[Photo by Henry Grossman, courtesy of the Library of Congress Music Division.]
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/o...
[Photo by Henry Grossman, courtesy of the Library of Congress Music Division.]
May 2, 2025 at 1:34 PM
We invite you to read the Bernstein Family’s Guest Essay, published today in The New York Times.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/o...
[Photo by Henry Grossman, courtesy of the Library of Congress Music Division.]
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/o...
[Photo by Henry Grossman, courtesy of the Library of Congress Music Division.]
Happy International Jazz Day! 🎷🎶🎺
"Jazz is the ultimate common denominator of the American musical style."
–Leonard Bernstein
[📸 by Don Hunstein; Courtesy of @sonyclassical.]
#LeonardBernstein #Music #Musician #InternationalJazzDay #Jazz
"Jazz is the ultimate common denominator of the American musical style."
–Leonard Bernstein
[📸 by Don Hunstein; Courtesy of @sonyclassical.]
#LeonardBernstein #Music #Musician #InternationalJazzDay #Jazz
April 30, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Happy International Jazz Day! 🎷🎶🎺
"Jazz is the ultimate common denominator of the American musical style."
–Leonard Bernstein
[📸 by Don Hunstein; Courtesy of @sonyclassical.]
#LeonardBernstein #Music #Musician #InternationalJazzDay #Jazz
"Jazz is the ultimate common denominator of the American musical style."
–Leonard Bernstein
[📸 by Don Hunstein; Courtesy of @sonyclassical.]
#LeonardBernstein #Music #Musician #InternationalJazzDay #Jazz
"I love to play and that’s why I don’t really make distinctions of my life between work and play. Work is play and even the painful act of composing music, all alone, all night, every night for weeks, is a form of play, you are playing with notes, you are juggling them." -Leonard Bernstein, 1988
April 25, 2025 at 2:31 PM
"I love to play and that’s why I don’t really make distinctions of my life between work and play. Work is play and even the painful act of composing music, all alone, all night, every night for weeks, is a form of play, you are playing with notes, you are juggling them." -Leonard Bernstein, 1988
Today is #WorldBookDay!
We encourage you to read these books by Leonard Bernstein:
📕The Joy of Music, 1959
📗The Infinite Variety of Music, 1966
📘Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts, 1970
📙The Unanswered Question: Six Talks At Harvard, 1976
📕Findings, 1982
We encourage you to read these books by Leonard Bernstein:
📕The Joy of Music, 1959
📗The Infinite Variety of Music, 1966
📘Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts, 1970
📙The Unanswered Question: Six Talks At Harvard, 1976
📕Findings, 1982
April 23, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Today is #WorldBookDay!
We encourage you to read these books by Leonard Bernstein:
📕The Joy of Music, 1959
📗The Infinite Variety of Music, 1966
📘Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts, 1970
📙The Unanswered Question: Six Talks At Harvard, 1976
📕Findings, 1982
We encourage you to read these books by Leonard Bernstein:
📕The Joy of Music, 1959
📗The Infinite Variety of Music, 1966
📘Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts, 1970
📙The Unanswered Question: Six Talks At Harvard, 1976
📕Findings, 1982
Happy #WorldVoiceDay! 🎤
"I would give anything to be able to express myself musically with my voice." -Leonard Bernstein, 1945.
[📸 Ruth Orkin]
"I would give anything to be able to express myself musically with my voice." -Leonard Bernstein, 1945.
[📸 Ruth Orkin]
April 16, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Happy #WorldVoiceDay! 🎤
"I would give anything to be able to express myself musically with my voice." -Leonard Bernstein, 1945.
[📸 Ruth Orkin]
"I would give anything to be able to express myself musically with my voice." -Leonard Bernstein, 1945.
[📸 Ruth Orkin]
🗨“A composer has to have an inner road map; he has to know what the next destination is going to be...he must convey to us a sense of rightness, a sense that whatever note succeeds that last is the only possible note that can rightly happen at that instant.”
Leonard Bernstein, 1954
Leonard Bernstein, 1954
April 14, 2025 at 12:53 PM
🗨“A composer has to have an inner road map; he has to know what the next destination is going to be...he must convey to us a sense of rightness, a sense that whatever note succeeds that last is the only possible note that can rightly happen at that instant.”
Leonard Bernstein, 1954
Leonard Bernstein, 1954
Happy Step into the Spotlight Day! ✨
We hope you all get a moment to shine today! 🤩
[📸Courtesy of Sony]
We hope you all get a moment to shine today! 🤩
[📸Courtesy of Sony]
April 8, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Happy Step into the Spotlight Day! ✨
We hope you all get a moment to shine today! 🤩
[📸Courtesy of Sony]
We hope you all get a moment to shine today! 🤩
[📸Courtesy of Sony]
"Every artist copes with reality by means of his fantasy. Fantasy, better known as imagination, is his greatest treasure, his basic equipment for life. And since his work is his life, his fantasy is constantly in play. He dreams life."
Leonard Bernstein, 1980
[📸 by David Gahr, Tanglewood, 1968. ]
Leonard Bernstein, 1980
[📸 by David Gahr, Tanglewood, 1968. ]
April 6, 2025 at 1:08 PM
"Every artist copes with reality by means of his fantasy. Fantasy, better known as imagination, is his greatest treasure, his basic equipment for life. And since his work is his life, his fantasy is constantly in play. He dreams life."
Leonard Bernstein, 1980
[📸 by David Gahr, Tanglewood, 1968. ]
Leonard Bernstein, 1980
[📸 by David Gahr, Tanglewood, 1968. ]
Happy Teach Music Week! 👩🏫🎼🧑🏫🎶
"Teach people to read music. It’s not so difficult, and it’s perfectly possible to include the reading of music in the basic materials of education."
-Leonard Bernstein
Music Should Be Listened To, Not Heard (1959)
"Teach people to read music. It’s not so difficult, and it’s perfectly possible to include the reading of music in the basic materials of education."
-Leonard Bernstein
Music Should Be Listened To, Not Heard (1959)
March 18, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Happy Teach Music Week! 👩🏫🎼🧑🏫🎶
"Teach people to read music. It’s not so difficult, and it’s perfectly possible to include the reading of music in the basic materials of education."
-Leonard Bernstein
Music Should Be Listened To, Not Heard (1959)
"Teach people to read music. It’s not so difficult, and it’s perfectly possible to include the reading of music in the basic materials of education."
-Leonard Bernstein
Music Should Be Listened To, Not Heard (1959)
"When I compose it's an inner discipline that controls me.... it's another person that emerges, more absorbed in an interior world."
-Leonard Bernstein (interview with Judith Karp, September, 1979)
[Photo: Victor Kraft, 1947; courtesy of The Library of Congress]
-Leonard Bernstein (interview with Judith Karp, September, 1979)
[Photo: Victor Kraft, 1947; courtesy of The Library of Congress]
March 12, 2025 at 12:59 PM
"When I compose it's an inner discipline that controls me.... it's another person that emerges, more absorbed in an interior world."
-Leonard Bernstein (interview with Judith Karp, September, 1979)
[Photo: Victor Kraft, 1947; courtesy of The Library of Congress]
-Leonard Bernstein (interview with Judith Karp, September, 1979)
[Photo: Victor Kraft, 1947; courtesy of The Library of Congress]