Composer, conductor, activist, and icon of twentieth-century America, Leonard Bernstein (1918–90) had a rich and profitable association with his nation's capital throughout his career. Yet Washington, DC, is not typically the first city that comes to mind when one thinks of the globe-trotting Bernstein; that honor usually goes to New York and Boston, and possibly also some European cities, including Vienna and Berlin. Many today are probably not aware of the extent to which the maestro was connected to the arts and politics of Washington, DC, in the second half of the twentieth century. While he did not live in DC, he made a point of being there in body or spirit for some of the most important moments in his life and in the life of the nation.

This book examines aspects of Bernstein's life and music from the 1940s through the 1980s, a challenging and turbulent time in the history of the United States and in Bernstein's own life, one that saw World War II, the Cold War, the Red Scare, juvenile delinquency, civil rights, feminism, gay rights and the AIDS crisis, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate scandal, as well as liberal and conservative governments and political movements. Through his art, Bernstein reacted to all these aspects of American life. Th ese essays explore the significant and sometimes troubled role that Washington, DC, played in Bernstein's career.

This collection deepens our understanding of specific aspects of Bernstein’s life and music, often by exploring previously neglected primary sources, especially materials preserved in the rich and meticulously preserved Leonard Bernstein Collection at the Library of Congress. The essays also expand our general understanding of issues such as the important role Bernstein played in the building of the artistic landscape of his nation's capital, his political-diplomatic interests and aims, important works and premieres presented in DC, and his relationships with the nation's political elite. By opening up new windows onto Bernstein's life, this collection thus also contributes new perspectives on twentieth-century American history, government, and culture.