Bernstein and Musicians

Ruth’s love for music came from her mother who had toured the country with a vaudeville trio and taught piano. As a teenager, Orkin worked at the Hollywood Bowl selling programs. In the late 1940’s she wrote to the Boston Symphony Orchestra to see if they would allow her to photograph them at Tanglewood over the summer, they said they didn’t need anyone. She went anyway and spent several summers at Tanglewood in Massachusetts.

She also photographed the New York Philharmonic at Lewisohn Stadium at City College where they used to rehearse and give concerts over the summer. Orkin captured some of the greatest musicians and composers of our time including: Marian Anderson; Leonard Bernstein; Benjamin Britten; Aaron Copland; Jascha Heifitz, William Kapell; Serge Koussevitzky; Dimitri Mitropoulos; Arthur Rubinstein; Isaac Stern and many others.

Marion Anderston and Leonard Bernstein, Lewisohn Stadium, NYC, 1947

Marian Anderson and Bernstein, Lewisohn Stadium, NYC, 1947

William Kapell with Bernstein, Lewisohn Stadium, NYC 1947

Bernstein conducting at Lewisohn Stadium, NYC, 1947

Bernstein in Greenroom, Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1950

Bernstein at Piano, Lewisohn Stadium, NYC, 1947

Bernstein saying “shh,” Lewisohn Stadium,NYC, 1947

Signed Photo, Bernstein, Corsini, Britten, Copland, Koussevitzky

Bernstein and Koussevitzky, Tanglewood, 1947

Copland, Bernstein, Koussevitzky, Tanglewood, 1948

Marc Blitzstein, Leonard Bernstein, Tanglewood, 1947

Isaac Stern with Pierre Monteaux, Lewisohn Stadium, NYC, 1947

Arthur Rubinstein and Pierre Monteux, Tanglewood, MA.

Dimitri Mitropoulos, Tanglewood, MA, 1948

Hazel Scott at Lewisohn Stadium, NYC, 1947

Peter Grimes Premiere, Koussevitzky and Britten, Tanglewood, MA.

Peter Grimes Premiere,Benjamin Britten and W.H. Auden

Leonard Bernstein, Shirley Bernstein and Marc Blitzstein at Tanglewood, 1947

Felicia and Bernstein at Tanglewood, 1948

Memories of Leonard Bernstein from Ruth Orkin’s memorial in 1985.

“When Lenny spoke at my mom’s memorial”

My mom, the photographer Ruth Orkin, knew Bernstein from one of her earliest assignments when she was hired to take a photo of him with the New York City Symphony. She really got to know him when she went up to Tanglewood and shot the rehearsals all summer. They became friends, and before she passed away in 1985, he offered to write the text for a book of all the photos. After she died, I asked if he would speak at her memorial, and he accepted. It all came together beautifully.

He was attending opening night of the Metropolitan Opera with Franco Zeffirelli, and the memorial was at the Ethical Culture Society a block away. He seemed to slip in with his tux and tails and caused quite a stir when people recognized him. I spoke briefly, and then introduced him. He made some personal remarks about her, and also said a few words in Hebrew. It was short, but very meaningful, and I will be forever grateful and she would have loved it. To top it off, Isaac Stern also spoke and played some Bach for Ruth.

Mary Engel, New York, NY, United States

Ruth Orkin’s collection of others in the music industry she photographed.

Composers

Samuel Barber
Marc Blitzstein
Benjamin Britten
Aaron Copland
Ulysses Kaye
Darius Milhaud
William Schuman
Igor Stravinsky
Virgil Thompson

Conductors

Sir Thomas Beecham
Leonard Bernstein
Pierre Boulez
Sir Adrian Boult
Walter Hendl
Serge Koussevitzky
Edmund Kurtz
Lorin Maazel
Dimitri Mitropoulos
Pierre Monteux
Eugene Ormandy
Paul Paray
Fritz Reiner
Sigmund Romberg
Alexander Smallens
William Steinberg
Leopold Stokowski

Violinists

Mischa Elman
Carol Glenn
Jascha Heifetz
Yehudi Menuhin
Nathan Milstein
Albert Spaulding
Isaac Stern

Pianists

Claudio Arrau
Lukas Foss
Gary Graffman
Jose Iturbi
William Kappell
Oscar Levant
Eugene Liszt
Arthur Rubinstein

Vocalists

Marion Anderson
Carol Brice
Lotte Lehman
Ezio Pinza
Robert Rounseville
Eleanor Steber