September Composer

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) American Composer, Conductor, Teacher and Pianist Preview and Print Preview and print this free printable composer biography by clicking on the green button.

Leonard Bernstein was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1918. His father, Sam Bernstein, did not support young Leonard's interest in music at first. Despite this, his father took him to many orchestra concerts. At one of these concerts he heard a piano performance that captivated him. It was then that he began to learn to play the piano.

In 1934, Bernstein enrolled at Harvard University where he studied music wiJth Walter Piston. After finishing his music studies at Harvard, he attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied piano, conducting and composition. While at the Curtis Institute, Bernstein was awarded the only "A" grade in conducting that his teacher Fritz Reiner ever gave.Bb