Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music closed on Sunday, September 2, at the National Museum of American Jewish History. The first large-scale exhibition to document Bernstein's life, work, Jewish identity, and social activism, containing approximately 100 historic artifacts, will begin its national tour at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, opening October 4 and on view through November 18, 2018. Next year, the exhibition will be on view at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood, OH, beginning September 22, 2019 through February 22, 2020.
CEO and Gwen Goodman Director, Ivy Barsky said, "We at NMAJH loved celebrating Bernstein's life and legacy in Philadelphia. We miss the exhibition and the conversations it inspired here, but are thrilled to be able to share that opportunity with his home town. The world needs Lenny now."
"This exhibition powerfully demonstrates just how multifaceted, complex, and wonderful my father was in a way that hasn't been captured before. Our family is excited to see this exhibition travel to his hometown and beyond so that this story will continue being told," said Alexander Bernstein, one of Leonard's three children, exhibition advisor, and artifact lender.
The arrival of this exhibition will symbolize Bernstein's return to Brandeis University, where Bernstein was an influential member of the music faculty and the founder of the university's Festival of the Creative Arts, which today honors his legacy as an artist, an educator, an activist and a humanitarian. The exhibition will be free and open to the public.
The Maltz Museum uses a Jewish lens to explore diversity and tolerance in Ohio and throughout America. Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music will complement the Maltz Museum's core exhibition, which explores the uncertainty and hope many American Jews experienced in the twentieth century.
The exhibition has garnered significant media attention, including coverage by The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, WHYY, CBS, and TIME. The New York Times identified Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music as "among the most notable homages to Mr. Bernstein."
To learn more about bringing Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music to your community, contact Shira Goldstein, Associate Director of Exhibitions, at sgoldstein@nmajh.org.
To learn more about Leonard Bernstein events across the world, visit the official Leonard Bernstein calendar of events at https://leonardbernstein.com/news/calendar.
Discover more Leonard Bernstein centennial celebrations in Philadelphia at bit.ly/phillyloveslenny and on social media using #PhillyLovesLenny.
Photo: Made available online with permission of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Friedman-Abeles, Billy Rose Theatre Collection. Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations
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