Festival Overview

When you encounter Leonard Bernstein, you encounter the spirit of music itself. As composer, conductor, author, educator, social activist and celebrity, he gave his all. Music took hold of him and compelled him to share its secrets.

Leonard Bernstein would have celebrated his 90th birthday in 2008, and music lovers everywhere are commemorating this anniversary. This January, we honor him in a festival of four all-Bernstein programs—revealing different sides of a man whose music captures the wonder of being alive.

Bernstein poured his spirit into compositions of every kind and shape.

Bernstein on Broadway January 15, 17		He wrote Broadway shows. We’ll hear selections from three classics: West Side Story, Candide and Wonderful Town, all overflowing with melody to fill the heart.
Bernstein in the Concert Hall January 16		He wrote extraordinary music for the concert hall. The curtain-raiser Slava! was inspired by a friend, the renowned cellist Mstislav Rostropovich: Slava. His First Symphony, composed in the midst of World War II, dispenses cautionary hope to a conflict-ravaged world, fusing Hebrew liturgical themes, punching rhythms and a woman’s pleading voice. The lighthearted Divertimento is a set of wistful and upbeat tunes. In the elegiac Halil, for flute and orchestra, and the Clarinet Sonata, solo instruments sing.
Bernstein Mass January 22, 23		Bernstein even harnessed the worlds of rock, hymn, dance and theater in Mass, a multimedia spectacle as potent today as when it inaugurated the Kennedy Center in 1971. Mass entertains and astounds on an epic scale—a scale that makes performances of the work rare.
Bernstein Live with Jamie Bernstein January 25		Bernstein was also America’s leading music champion. His television series of Young People’s Concerts opened the ears of a new generation. His daughter, Jamie Bernstein, re-creates one of these experiences in a special program for families.
		In all he did and gave us, Leonard Bernstein offered heart. Join us this January. Let that heart touch you.

Music and Video Clips

Click on one of the many music clips below to sample the concerts you want to attend. You can also watch backstage videos featuring the Music Director, our General Manager and our Choral Advisor, who share their personal insights about the festival and connections to Bernstein’s music.

Scroll down the list below to view complete audio and video selections.

More Ways to Connect

Bernstein with Minnesota Orchestra Life Director
Rosalynd Pflaum.

READ ARCHIVED
NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS

We culled through our archives and found the following newspaper clippings from Leonard Bernstein’s conducting days in Minneapolis. Click below to read concert reviews and more.

Read and print articles from
1945 and 1947

From Minneapolis to New York City, we honor the legacy of Leonard Bernstein. Visit the links below for an in-depth look at the musical icon we can't help but celebrate!

"The Legend of Lenny"
Courtesy of The New Yorker, December 15, 2008

Leonard Bernstein: "Music's Monarch"
By Laurie Shulman

"The Bernstein Legacy Lives On"
From Minnesota Orchestra January 09 Showcase

An Interview with Leonard Bernstein's Daughter Jamie
From Minnesota Orchestra January 09 Showcase

CONCERT PREVIEWS

These entertaining and informative pre-concert discussions begin 30 minutes prior to morning concerts and 60 minutes prior to evening concerts.

JAN 15  10:30AM	Bernstein on Stage, Robert R. Neu, Vice President & General Manager
JAN 16  7PM	Working with Bernstein: Personal experiences and memories of Leonard Bernstein, presented by Minnesota Orchestra musicians
JAN 17  7PM	Bernstein on Stage, Robert R. Neu, Vice President & General Manager
JAN 22  6:30PM	Bernstein Mass, Jamie Bernstein
JAN 23  7PM	Bernstein Mass, Jamie Bernstein

POST CONCERT Q&As

Stay late after these Saturday evening concerts and ask Osmo about the music performed. Programs begin immediately following the concerts.

JAN 17	Osmo Vänskä
JAN 22 & 23	Osmo Vänskä and Jamie Bernstein

All Music Up Close events are free, but a concert ticket is required for entry. Seating is available anywhere on the main floor.

Young Peoples Concerts

School groups can explore some of Leonard Bernstein’s greatest masterpieces in “The Bernstein Beat” concerts January 28 to 30. These educational Young People’s Concerts are recommended for students in grades 4 to 6. Visit our Young People's Concerts page for details, or call 612.371.5671 for more information.

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