Conductor, composer, pianist and music educator, Leonard Bernstein was born on this day 1918.

Raised in Massachusetts, Bernstein became the first American-born conductor to lead a major American symphony orchestra and the first American conductor to achieve international acclaim. A talented composer who wrote across several genres, Bernstein’s legacy includes: the music from West Side Story, the creation of two major international music festivals and the first conductor to share and explore music on television with a mass audience.

Bernstein’s passion for music is epitomised with the quote: ‘I can't live one day without hearing music, playing it, studying it or thinking about it.’