Bernstein at 100
In 2018, Brandeis celebrated the centennial birthday of acclaimed American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, a Brandeis faculty member and a supporter of the University from its earliest days.
From 1951-56, Bernstein taught courses at Brandeis on modern music, opera and composition. He founded the university's Festival of the Creative Arts, which today honors his legacy as an artist, an educator, an activist and a humanitarian.
Centennial events included special concerts, classes and other campuswide activities during the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, April 15-22, 2018.
Featured events included selections from Bernstein’s opera "Trouble in Tahiti" performed by the Boston Lyric Opera; "Late Night with Leonard Bernstein," a cabaret-style concert narrated by his daughter, Nina Bernstein; and a concert version of Bernstein's "Mass," performed by the Brandeis University Chorus and guest artists.
Leonard Bernstein at 100 was the worldwide celebration of the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein. Visit the official website to learn more about Bernstein’s life and works, share your memories of Leonard Bernstein, and to follow news of centennial events around the world.
Learn and Explore
The Music Division of the Library of Congress has created a significant Bernstein Collection website that includes a few thousand items from its extraordinary holdings. You may visit the Brandeis-specific Bernstein Collection or the General Bernstein Collection.
Explore Leonard Bernstein's site on Google Arts & Culture, where the maestro comes alive through rich multimedia stories featuring interviews with former cast members and students.
The Boston Globe and Brandeis experts recall the maestro ahead of his 100th birthday.
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Leonard Bernstein's childhood piano, given to Brandeis in 2002, usually sits sedately in the Slosberg Music Center lobby.
The piano was on loan to "Leonard Bernstein at 100," organized by the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the renowned composer, conductor and one-time member of the Brandeis music faculty.
2018 Festival of the Arts
