BERNSTEIN: THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS

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1918

Born August 25, Lawrence, Massachusetts

1937

First met Dimitri Mitropoulos, Aaron Copland, and Adolph Green

Béla Bartók premieres his Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta

1938

1939

Conducting studies under Serge Koussevitzky at Berkshire Music Center, Massachusetts

Conducting studies under Fritz Reiner at the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia

Graduated cum laude from Harvard

World War II Begins

1940

Completed First Symphony, "Jeremiah"

1941

Japanese attack Pearl Harbor

1942

1943

Appointed assistant conductor New York Philharmonic

Last-minute substitute for Bruno Walter at Carnegie Hall

1944

Premiere of First Symphony, "Jeremiah"

Premiere of the ballet Fancy Free

Premiere of the ballet Fancy Free and the musical On the Town Premiere of the musical On the Town

D-Day

1945

Appointed music director, New York City Symphony Orchestra, 1945–1947

First computer built

1946

1947

Wrote in the NY Times of the need for affirmative action in orchestras

First visit to Israel

Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier

1948

Musical advisor, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, 1948–1949

House Un-American Activities declaration

Conducted concerts in Israel during War of Independence

State of Israel founded

1949

Premiere of Second Symphony, 'The Age of Anxiety' Premiere of Second Symphony,
"The Age of Anxiety"

1950

Senator Joseph Mcarthy begins Communist witch hunt

1951

Marriage to Felicia Montealegre Cohn

Conducted Ives World Premiere

Arnold Schoenberg dies

1952

Premiere of Trouble in Tahiti

Birth of daughter Jamie

1953

Premiere of the musical Wonderful Town

First American-born conductor at La Scala in Milan, Italy

1954

Scored the film On the Waterfront

Premiere of Serenade

First appeared on television in Omnibus

Brown v. Board of Education makes segregation illegal in U.S.

1955

Birth of son Alexander

James Dean dies

1956

Premiere of Candide

Handel’s Messiah as guest conductor of New York Philharmonic

1957

Joint principal conductor, New York Philharmonic, 1957–1958

Premiere of musical West Side Story

Soviet satellite Sputnik launches the Space Age

1958

Music Director, New York Philharmonic, 1958–69

Begins televised Young People’s Concerts

Edgard Varèse completes Poème électronique

1959

Toured Europe and Soviet Union with New York Philharmonic

Publishes first book, The Joy of Music

The Sound of Music opens on Broadway

1960

Organized Mahler centenary season with New York Philharmonic.

First televised presidential debates

1961

Film version of West Side Story released

Berlin Wall built

1962

Conducted opening concert at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center

Hired first African-American to full-time musician with the New York Philharmonic

Birth of daughter Nina Birth of
daughter Nina

1963

Premiere of Third Symphony, “Kaddish”

Conducts JFK memorial concert

President John F. Kennedy is assasinated

1964

The Beatles perform at Carnegie Hall

1965

Participated in civil rights march from Selma, Alabama Participated in civil rights rally in Montgomery, Al

Premiere of Chichester Psalms

1966

Hired first woman to New York Philharmonic

Published The Infinite Variety of Music

First engagements with the LSO, VPO, and the Vienna State Opera

Mao Zedong begins the Cultural Revolution in communist China

1967

Conducted concert on top of Mt. Scopus, Israel following six-day war

The Six-Day Arab-Israeli War

1968

Conducted RFK funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy assasinated

1969

Named Laureate Conductor of New York Philharmonic

First man on the moon

1970

Became advisor to Tanglewood, 1970–1974

Black Panther fundraising event

The Concorde made its first supersonic flight

1971

Premiere of Mass

Dmitri Shostakovich completes his final symphony

1972

1973

Began the first of his six Norton Lectures at Harvard University

Protested President Richard Nixon with “Concert for Peace”

1974

Premiere of ballet Dybbuk

President Nixon resigns

1975

Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win a Wimbledon singles title

1976

Bicentennial tour of Europe with the New York Philharmonic

Premiere of the musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Philip Glass completes Einstein on the Beach

1977

Star Wars released

1978

Death of Felicia Bernstein

Premiere of Divertimento for Orchestra

Sony introduces the Walkman radio

1979

1980

Received the Kennedy Center Honor

1981

Premiere of Halil

Sandra Day O’Connor becomes first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court

1982

Published Findings

The first successful heart transplant is performed

1983

Premiere of the opera A Quiet Place

Spoke against nuclear weapons

1984

The first MTV Video Music Awards are held in New York City

1985

Conducted “Journey for Peace” concerts

Celebrated Aaron Copland’s 85th birthday

1986

Final Central Park performance

Premiere of Jubilee Games

Reopening of Carnegie Hall

US space shuttle Challenger disaster

1987

John Adams completes his opera Nixon in China

1988

Premiere of Arias and Barcarolles

45th anniversary of his Carnegie Hall conducting debut

1989

Final New York Philharmonic appearance

Refused National Medal of Arts

Conducted celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall is dismantled

1990

Final Carnegie Hall appearance

Launched the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan

Died October 14, at his New York home

Nelson Mandela released after 27 years in prison

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