Episode 54: Jamie Bernstein says her father Leonard Bernstein was “almost as obsessed with ‘Sgt. Pepper’ as I was"

Everything Fab Four

Author and filmmaker Jamie Bernstein joins Everything Fab Four to discuss growing up with a world-famous father, and why Leonard Bernstein chose Beatles songs to explain musical concepts.

Jamie Bernstein’s 2018 memoir, Famous Father Girl, traces the story of growing up with composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein, and pianist and actress Felicia Montealegre in an atmosphere bursting with music, theatre and literature. Famous Father Girl served as the inspiration for the Academy Award-nominated movie Maestro.

Over the years, Bernstein has written and narrated concerts about Mozart, Aaron Copland, and Stravinsky, as well as “The Bernstein Beat,” a family concert about her father. She performs concert narrations all over the world, including for Copland’s “A Lincoln Portrait” and her father’s Symphony No. 3, “Kaddish.” Bernstein has also produced and hosted the New York Philharmonic’s live national radio broadcasts, and recently narrated the podcast “The NY Phil Story: Made in New York.” Her other works include co-directing the award-winning documentary film Crescendo: the Power of Music, about children from struggling urban communities who participate in youth orchestra programs, and articles and poetry in Symphony, Town & Country, and Opera News.

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