Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was the American conductor of the
New York Philharmonic, a conductor and an honorary member of the
Vienna Philharmonic, and a composer of the musical scores for
West Side Story, On the Town, and Candide. Bernstein helped
classical music reach millions of children through his Young
People's Concerts and gained worldwide critical success as a
pianist, composer, and conductor. His multiple talents led him
to established reputations as a conductor of traditional
literature (Mozart, Beethoven, etc.), the high romantics (Mahler
and Bruckner), and especially opera, for which he became admired
in the leading opera houses of the world. Like George Gershwin,
he was eager to straddle the classical and popular music worlds
and did so in music halls, jazz clubs, opera halls, television,
and the avant-garde scene. - ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/article
s/mi_m1282/is_n1_v41/ai_6975866/ - ↑ Leonard Bernstein,
Obituary, New York Times Learning Network