Celebrate Martin Bookspan’s 95th Birthday by listening to this 2013 Lecture

By Recorded Sound Archives, July 30, 2021 9:48 am

Martin Bookspan had life-long friendships with two great classical music geniuses, Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.

As the voice of the PBS television series Live from Lincoln Center from 1976 to 2006, Martin Bookspan riveted audiences with his eloquently distinctive voice and extensive knowledge of classical music. The N.Y. Times (May 24, 2006) described Bookspan as “One half erudite informer, the other half grandfatherly guide, [who kept audiences] tuned in during intermissions with easy-to-digest program notes and anecdotes.”

A generous supporter of the Judaica Sound Archives now the Recorded Sound Archives at Florida Atlantic University Libraries, Bookspan spoke before a sold-out audience at FAU Libraries’ 2013 Kultur Festival in March.

Today Martin Bookspan would have been turning 95, he passed away earlier this year in April at his home in Aventura, FL. In celebration of his life, we wanted to share these video clips taken during a lecture he gave in 2013 at FAU Libraries.

My Friends: Leonard Bernstein & Aaron Copland Lecture

Presented by Martin Bookspan at FAU’s Wimberly Library on March 5, 2013

(1) Bookspan talks about the young Leonard Bernstein

(2) Bookspan interviews Leonard Bernstein

(3) Bookspan remembers Aaron Copland

(4) Copland’s Lincoln Portrait

(5) Concluding remarks

You can also listen to Martin Bookspan narrating Copland: A Lincoln Portrait on the Recorded Sound Archives website by clicking here.

Please note, due to copyright some items may only be available as a 45-second snippet.

If you are a Researcher or Educator in need of full access to these recordings, please visit the Recorded Sound Archives website to apply for Research Station Access by click here.

General Interest | Martin Bookspan, PBS voice, vintage phonograph recordings

Kultur 2014

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By Recorded Sound Archives, February 10, 2014 10:46 am

March 1 – 8, 2014

6th Annual Kultur Celebration

Click here for full schedule and more information

Florida Atlantic University Libraries

Festival Highlights

Saturday, March 1, 2014 @ 7:00 p.m

Film: “Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness”

Chock full of humor, this documentary film explores the rebellious life of Sholem Aleichem as he experiences the tug of war between nostalgia and a modern Jewish identity.

Sunday, March 2, 2014 @ 3:00 p.m.

Klezmer Company Orchestra — ¡Jubano Jazz!

Energetic arrangements of Klezmer melodies fused with Latin percussion, Argentinean Tango and Afro-Cuban dance beats and revitalized classic songs from the Yiddish theatre.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 @ 2:00 p.m.
Martin Bookspan Reminisces: My famous musical friends

Renowned PBS commentator of Live from Lincoln Center, Martin Bookspan is also a noted author, and the well-known host for live radio broadcasts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic. He shares personal stories and photographs about his friendships with legends such as Serge Koussevitzky, Leonard Bernstein, Isaac Stern, Jan Pierce, Richard Tucker and Michael Tilson Thomas. Presented in conjunction with the Judaica Sound Archives.

Thursday, March 6, 2014 @ 2:00 p.m.

Leonard Lehrman, pianist and Helene Williams, soprano, return to Kultur Festival with guest cantors from New York City: soprano Faith Steinsnyder and tenor David Perper performing a unique concert of “Jewish Opera” in various languages. Highlights include excerpts of Halévy’s famous La Juive, Spektor’s Lady of the Castle, Mandelbaum’s The Village, Blitzstein/Lehrman’s Tales of Malamud, and arias by Goldfaden.

About the RSA, Judaic Collection, Popular entertainment | Helene Williams, Jewish Opera, KCO, Leonard Lehrman, Martin Bookspan, Sholem Aleichem

Martin Bookspan: My friends Leonard Bernstein & Aaron Copeland

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By Recorded Sound Archives, July 1, 2013 10:02 am

Martin Bookspan: classical music maven

Martin Bookspan had life-long friendships with two great classical music geniuses, Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.

As the voice of the PBS television series Live from Lincoln Center from 1976 to 2006, Martin Bookspan riveted audiences with his eloquently distinctive voice and extensive knowledge of classical music. The N.Y. Times (May 24, 2006) described Bookspan as “One half erudite informer, the other half grandfatherly guide, [who kept audiences] tuned in during intermissions with easy-to-digest program notes and anecdotes.”

A generous supporter of the Judaica Sound Archives at Florida Atlantic University Libraries, Bookspan spoke before a sold-out audience at FAU Libraries’ 2013 Kultur Festival in March.

Still debonair and dynamic, Bookspan demonstrated that he has not lost an iota of his stage presence or his ability to mesmerize an audience as he shared wonderful stories and personal photographs of his friends Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.

Now you can experience the uniquely personal stories of this classical music maven for yourselves. The Judaica Sound Archives has created video clip highlights from this unique event for you to enjoy. Of special interest is the broadcast recording of Martin Bookspan interviewing Leonard Bernstein live on the radio.

Please click below for video clip highlights from Bookspan’s appearance at FAU’s Wimberly Library in March 2013.