Composer Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story opens at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre on September 26, 1957. watch
Leonard Bernstein, a towering presence in American music, died of a smoking-related heart attack on October 14, 1990. Just five days earlier, he had announced that he would retire from performing because of health problems. He was 72. watch
After studying conducting with Fritz Reiner and Serge Koussevitzky, Leonard Bernstein was hired as an assistant conductor for the New York Philharmonic in 1943. On November 14, conductor Bruno Walter fell ill, and Bernstein was asked to conduct. watch
