Bernstein at 100 Exhibit Opens at NEC
NEC hosts exhibit through November 11, which features personal items and interactive experiences celebrating Leonard Bernstein's centennial.
New England Conservatory recently opened the New England premiere of Leonard Bernstein at 100, an exhibition curated by the GRAMMY Museum®. It will remain on display through November 11, joining the world-wide 100th birthday celebration of composer, conductor, and educator Leonard Bernstein.
Celebrating one of America’s greatest composers and conductors, the exhibit draws from more than 150 photographs, personal items, papers, scores, correspondence, costumes, furniture, and films in a comprehensive retrospective of Bernstein's life and career.
Visitors to the exhibit will see Bernstein’s baton, his first childhood piano, the desk used to compose West Side Story, handwritten score sheets for songs from West Side Story including “America,” “Tonight,” “Maria,” and more.
In addition to objects and the multi-media presentations, the exhibit includes interactive displays, designed to allow the visitor to access Bernstein's creative mind and music legacy.
In one interactive experience, visitors step into Bernstein's conducting shoes and lead the New York Philharmonic, while in another, a vocal booth beckons visitors to sing lead in West Side Story.
Throughout the run of the exhibit, NEC College and Prep students will also offer Bernstein-themed concerts in tribute to the Boston native and Prep alumnus. Performance highlights include Bernstein’s comic operetta Candide and excerpts from West Side Story in several different arrangements.