Latest News
- Martin Scorcese and Paramount to development Leonard Bernstein Biopic Scorsese and Paramount are developing a biopic of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein that Scorsese will direct and produce, along with Fred Berner and Amy Durning for Fred Berner Films, from a screenplay by Josh Singer (“Spotlight”). Read November 2, 2015
- The Somewhere Project: A West Side Story Companion In celebration of Carnegie Hall’s 125th anniversary season, the Weill Music Institute (WMI) launches The Somewhere Project, a citywide exploration of West Side Story. This unique creative learning project will engage people through events in all five boroughs of New York City, anchored by a large-scale production of West Side Story. In March 2016, three performances of this iconic work with music by Leonard Bernstein will take place at the Knockdown Center, a restored factory in Queens, and feature professional artists in lead roles, with students and community members from around the city on stage. Marin Alsop, a former protégée of Bernstein’s and a visionary leader of education projects, will conduct and Amanda Dehnert, a nationally renowned theater director, will lead the production. Experiencing West Side Story as a celebration of community and music will encourage artists and audiences to consider the work’s timeless themes, inviting them to embrace the vision of New York City as a “place for us.” Read October 28, 2015
- On The Waterfront Film with Live Orchestra The New York Philharmonic presented the world premiere of a live performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Academy Award-nominated score for the iconic 1954 film, On the Waterfront. David Newman, the conductor and composer of over 100 film scores, conducted the performance, at which the complete film will be screened. This was preceded by remarks by actor Alec Baldwin, the orchestra’s radio host, who introduced Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne, who spoke on the film and its music. Mr. Newman and the Philharmonic will offer the same program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on October 11, while the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will perform the same program, conducted by Richard Kaufman, in Chicago on October 23. Read September 23, 2015
- Proms Extra: Leonard Bernstein Andrew McGregor of BBC Radio 3 is joined by Jamie Bernstein, and Nigel Simeone, editor of The Leonard Bernstein Letters, to talk about Bernstein's music for stage and screen. One subject is how Bernstein rarely discarded music, but incorporated unused musical materials in future compositions – songs from Candide into West Side Story, and West Side Story into Chichester Psalms. Recorded at the Royal College of Music in London and broadcast on September 5th. Read September 8, 2015
- The Metropolitan Opera’s annual Summer HD Festival to open with a special presentation of West Side Story The Metropolitan Opera’s annual Summer HD Festival will open on Friday, August 28 at 8 p.m. with a special presentation of the classic 1961 movie musical West Side Story. The film, which won 10 Academy Awards and features a score by Leonard Bernstein, is largely set in the neighborhood where Lincoln Center now stands. This screening is co-presented with the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which also co-presented the Met’s screening of Moonstruck last summer. Read August 24, 2015
- Orchestra Attire, from tuxedo shirts to "Bernstein's folly" In 1958, Leonard Bernstein tried to wean the New York Philharmonic from evening dress on Thursdays, but he soon dropped the new, relaxed uniforms, dismissing them as “Bernstein’s folly.” -Michael Cooper, The New York Times Read August 18, 2015
- Rita Moreno and Seiji Ozawa to receive Kennedy Center Honors Actress and singer Rita Moreno, who starred as Anita in the film West Side Story, and Maestro Seiji Ozawa, former assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein, will be honored at the Kennedy Center's 38th annual national celebration of the arts on Sunday, December 6, 2015. The gala will be broadcast on CBS December 29, 2015 at 9:00pm ET/PT. Read August 5, 2015
- Wonderful Town at the Reagle Music Theatre The Big Apple comes to Waltham in Leonard Bernstein’s rhythmic and soaring musical comedy. The Tony Award-winning musical comedy centers around the sassy and brassy Ruth Sherwood and her demure sister who move from Ohio to New York to fulfill their dreams! Read August 5, 2015
- Leonard Bernstein: An Album of Family and Friends Now Available TurningPointPress has recently published a collection of photographs and quotes entitled Leonard Bernstein: An Album of Family & Friends: From the Archive of Personal Photos by John Jonas Gruen, by John Jonas Gruen, with Foreword by Jamie Bernstein and Introduction by Sam Swasey. Read July 9, 2015
- Spring concert of Oratorio Society of New York to feature "Chichester Psalms" at Carnegie Hall: Carnegie Hall concert to feature the Oratorio Society of New York in Chichester Psalms alongside Carmina Burana: Tuesday, May 5, 2015, 8:00 p.m. Read April 20, 2015
- Free Concert Alert! Tacoma Symphony Orchestra's new Music Director, Maestra Sarah Ioannides, to conduct University of Puget Sound Symphony in Bernstein's Overture to Candide: 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 24, 2015, Schneebeck Concert Hall, Takoma, Washington Tacoma Symphony Orchestra's new Music Director, Maestra Sarah Ioannides, to conduct University of Puget Sound Symphony in Bernstein's Overture to Candide: 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 24, 2015, Schneebeck Concert Hall, Takoma, Washington Read April 17, 2015
- Chichester Psalms: Leonard Bernstein's "Psalms of Youth," 50 Years and counting.... Chichester Psalms: Leonard Bernstein's "Psalms of Youth," 50 Years and counting.... Read April 9, 2015
- Westminster Williamson Voices, joined by their "sister choir" the University of Aberdeen Chamber Choir, will present Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" on April 11 and 12, 2015. 50th Anniversary of "Chichester Psalms": a Trans-Atlantic Collaboration between Princeton and Aberdeen, 4/11/2015 in Princeton, NJ; 4/12/2015 in New York, NY Read April 8, 2015
- "West Side Story" to play at Westchester Broadway Theater, from April 9 to July 5, 2015, in Elmsford, New York: "West Side Story" in Westchester: 4/9/2015-7/5/2015, Westchester Broadway Theater, Elmsford, New York Read April 4, 2015
- Elizabeth Stanley in Broadway at Birdland NYC: "Carried Away" with the songs of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 6, 2015 Get "Carried Away" with "On The Town" star Elizabeth Stanley on Monday, 4/6/2015, at Birdland, New York, NY Read April 3, 2015
- Nashville's Studio Tenn Theatre Company announces "West Side Story" to be included in their 2015-2016 "Season of Modern Masters": performances June 3-4, 2016: Nashville's Studio Tenn Theatre Company announces West Side Story to be included in their 2015-2016 "Season of Modern Masters": performances June 3-4, 2016. Read March 30, 2015
- "Artful Learning" launches at Ottomon Elementary in Orangevale, California: "Artful Learning" launches at Ottomon Elementary in Orangevale, California. Read March 28, 2015
- Penn State's "West Side Story" Singalong: Penn State's "West Side Story" Singalong: Thursday, April 23, 2015, 7:00-10:00 p.m., at Penn State Great Valley, Malvern, Pennsylvania Read March 27, 2015
- Leonard Bernstein at Curtis: a remembrance and tribute in the Spring 2015 issue of Philadelphia Style: In the Spring 2015 issue of Philadelphia Style, David Ludwig, Dean of Artistic Programs at the Curtis Institute of Music, remembers Leonard Bernstein and describes his legacy at Curtis. Read March 25, 2015
- The Goodman Theatre in Chicago announces a new "Wonderful Town" production for their 2015-16 season Mary Zimmerman will direct a new production of Leonard Bernstein's "Wonderful Town" for the Goodman Theatre of Chicago's 2015-2016 season. Read March 23, 2015