Celebrating the Collection -

To celebrate the centennial of Leonard Bernstein, the Music Division held a special, day-long event; an immersive experience anchored by an extensive display of manuscripts, letters, playbills, photographs and memorabilia, sketches, casting notes, and designs. As part of this special event, Nicholas Alexander Brown, spoke about Leonard Bernstein’s life and career. Bernstein practiced what Brown referred to as “engaged musical citizenship,” using his voice and position to support or oppose contentious social issues in America between the 1940s and1980s. Highlighting special collection items from the Leonard Bernstein Collection at the Library of Congress, Brown explored Bernstein’s views on race, gender roles, politics, social class, and the dichotomy between public and private identities through Bernstein’s long relationship with the Kennedy family and two of his rarely performed works, Songfest and Trouble in Tahiti.
For transcript and more information visit www.loc.gov/it...