The story is a classic in the gilded halls of symphonic music: someone falls ill and a young performer must step in at the last moment. For Leonard Bernstein, that happened live on the radio. During his career as the director of the New York Philharmonic, he advanced the orchestra’s legacy of providing first-rate music to New Yorkers, and eventually to the nation through the televised broadcasts of his Young People’s Concerts. The Phil continues that tradition today with their summer events playing concerts in the parks around the city.

The NYPhil Story: Made in New York production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Helena de Groot, Sapir Rosenblatt, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonemaker, Eileen Delahunty, Christine Herskovits, Natalia Ramirez, and Ed Yim. Our engineering team includes: George Wellington and Ed Haber. Production assistance from: Ben James, and Jac Phillimore and Mary Mathis. Special thanks to Monica Parks, Adam Crane, Gabe Smith, and the New York Public Radio Archives. Audio footage from Young People's Concerts - Courtesy of CBS Broadcasting Inc.

A transcript of this episode is available on our website: nyphilstory.com