outhful Young People's Concert - Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Composer: Leonard Bernstein
What you will hear at the concert:
Overture from West Side Story
Young People's Concert
Born in Massachusetts, USA
(1918 – 1990)
Leonard Bernstein was ten years old when his aunt gave him a piano, and it
changed his life forever! The piano hooked him on music. He loved it so much that he
became a talented pianist, composer, conductor and
teacher! He thought music was so important that he
believed playing for young students (just like you!) was
one of the best things he could do. In fact, HE conducted a
whole series of Young People’s Concerts, very much like
the Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s Young People’s Concert
you’ll be attending.
Bernstein didn’t have iPods or YouTube when he was
growing up, but his family did own a radio. He grew up
listening to the popular music of the time- like jazz. Taking
jazz’s exciting rhythms and slippery notes and combining
them with other styles of music, he composed music for
plays, ballets and movies. One of the pieces you’ll hear at the concert is from his musical
play, West Side Story. In it, you will hear how he combines many different styles of music
– like jazz and Latin American.
Other Facts:
- Bernstein loved games- including tennis and touch football. He also loved the
game of anagrams. He was awesome at it. Would you like to play a game of anagrams
Go to page 23 to find out how to play.
-Bernstein practically got famous overnight when he conducted a nationally
broadcast concert for the New York Philharmonic. When he was still a young man, he
became their assistant conductor. When the regular conductor got sick and couldn’t
conduct a televised concert, Bernstein had to step right up and take his place... with just a
few hours notice. Everyone knew him after he did such a fantastic job conducting on TV!
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Note This!
If you listen to the music examples online at www.VirginiaSymphony.org, you will
hear Mambo from West Side Story, which is one of the featured songs in the
Overture. An overture is a piece of music that announces the beginning of an
opera or musical.