Happy Birthday, Leonard Bernstein
The First Day ceremony for this stamp was held at the New York Philharmonic.
Leonard (Louis) Bernstein was born on August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. His grandmother had insisted his name be Louis, but his parents always called him Leonard and he legally changed his name to Leonard when he was 15.
Bernstein had a love of music from a young age. His family got an old piano from a family member that enabled him to learn to play at home. He had several teachers over the years and could play entire operas and Beethoven symphonies as a child.
After graduating from Boston Latin School, Bernstein majored in music at Harvard University. From there he went on to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. After graduating, Bernstein moved to New York City and worked in music publishing. He also spent his summers studying at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer institute, Tanglewood.
https://info.mysticstamp.com/this-day-in-history-august-25-1918/
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his father was being interviewed and was asked about how his father had wanted Leonard to be a businessman instead of going on to be a world-famous musician, composer, and conductor.
When asked how he could have possibly wanted Leonard to be a businessman instead, his father replied, "Hey, how was I to know he was going to become THE Leonard Bernstein?"
