Skirball Cultural Center Unveils Details of Leonard Bernstein at 100, Official Centennial Exhibition

The Skirball Cultural Center today unveiled details about Leonard Bernstein at 100, the official exhibition celebrating the centennial of Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990). Through more than 150 objects - including photographs, papers, scores, correspondence, costumes, furniture, and films, as well as interactive displays - the retrospective explores half a century of activity by the renowned American composer, conductor, pianist, and humanitarian, who dedicated his life to making classical music a vibrant part of American life. In particular, it offers insight into Bernstein's creative process and enduring legacy, including his contributions as both a pioneering educator and an engaged citizen who lent his voice to many social justice causes.

Leonard Bernstein at 100 is curated by the GRAMMY Museum® and makes its West Coast debut at the Skirball April 26-September 2, 2018.

"Leonard Bernstein continues to have an immeasurable influence on classical music and popular culture. His achievements not only as a conductor and composer, but as an educator, musician, social activist, and cultural ambassador, continue to inspire future generations of artists," said Bob Santelli, exhibition curator and Founding Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum®. "The GRAMMY Museum is honored to partner with the Skirball to give West Coast audiences the opportunity to revisit, discover, and pay tribute to this great American icon."

"The Skirball is proud to join the yearlong international celebration of Leonard Bernstein's centennial, comprising an array of arts presentations and educational programs across Southern California and around the world," added Robert Kirschner, Skirball Museum Director. "As an institution committed to celebrating American democratic ideals and promoting social justice, we are inspired by Bernstein as a cultural figure who used his prominence to advance intercultural understanding and the cause of equal rights for all Americans."

Objects on display in Leonard Bernstein at 100 will include:

Bernstein's conductor baton and podium

Bernstein's childhood piano

Desk used to compose West Side Story

Handwritten lyrics of "Maria" from West Side Story

Handwritten score sheets for songs from West Side Story, including "America" and "Tonight"

Report card and student papers from Bernstein's undergraduate years at Harvard University

Program of Bernstein's first appearance as conductor of the New York Philharmonic with last-minute overstrike adding his name for first time. The appearance was reported on the next day, on the front page of the New York Times

Program from the opening of Lincoln Center

Oscar nomination plaque for On the Waterfront, for Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

Original costume for the first production of Bernstein's Mass

Original Broadway poster for Candide

Poster from the American Anti-Vietnam Concert for Peace in Washington, DC, in 1973, at which Bernstein led the volunteer orchestral and choral forces in Washington's National Cathedral as a protest to the Vietnam War

Poster by Peter Max for the 1980 Democratic National Convention, inscribed and signed by Senator Edward Kennedy.

Five of Bernstein's GRAMMY® Awards, as well as his Recording Academy™ Lifetime Achievement Award

Furnishings and memorabilia from Bernstein's home studio in Connecticut, including his desk and piano

Handwritten letter from the very young Bernstein requesting to be taken on a student by his first piano teacher

One of Bernstein's conducting batons given to famed conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who subsequently broke it during a performance¾This object is accompanied by a video of Dudamel telling the story of how it was broken.

Exclusive to the Skirball's presentation of the exhibition is a staging of the iconic set of window and fire escape where Maria and Tony sing "Tonight" in the West Side Story film adaptation.

In addition to the many objects, Leonard Bernstein at 100 includes a number of interactive exhibits. A listening bar will enable visitors to explore some of Bernstein's most noted works, while a vocal booth invites visitors to sing lead in "America" from West Side Story. Another interactive deconstructs the parts of a symphony for greater understanding of Bernstein's orchestral works, while another entices visitors to step into Bernstein's conducting shoes and "lead" the Vienna Philharmonic. Also included are Bernstein home movies; GRAMMY®performances; interviews with Bernstein's contemporaries and colleagues, including David Amram, Joshua Bell, Gustavo Dudamel, Michael Feinstein, and Michael Tilson Thomas; clips of his most noted stage works; segments from Bernstein's famous Young People's Concerts; and performances with the New York Philharmonic.

Leonard Bernstein at 100 premiered in September 2017 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, then traveled to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts during the winter of 2017. After the Skirball presentation, the exhibition will continue to travel throughout the United States for the following two years.

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