West Side Story was based on a concept by Jerome Robbins.
Book by Arthur Laurents
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Original Production Directed and Choreographed by Jerome Robbins
Orchestrations by Leonard Bernstein with Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal
Leonard Bernstein (1918 – 1990) was an American composer, conductor, author, music lecturer, and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim.
His fame derived from his long tenure as the music director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, from his conducting of concerts with most of the world's leading orchestras, and from his music for West Side Story, as well as Peter Pan, Candide, Wonderful Town, On the Town and his own Mass.
Bernstein was also the first conductor to give numerous television lectures on classical music, starting in 1954 and continuing until his death. He was a skilled pianist, often conducting piano concertos from the keyboard.
As a composer he wrote in many styles encompassing symphonic and orchestral music, ballet, film and theatre music, choral works, opera, chamber music and pieces for the piano. Many of his works are regularly performed around the world, although none has matched the tremendously popular and commercially successful West Side Story. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century.
Stephen Sondheim (1930 - 2021) is an American composer and lyricist who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in musical theater history. He was exposed to music at an early age, and he showed a talent for writing and composing from a young age.
After attending Williams College for two years, Sondheim began his career in theater as a lyricist, working on shows such as "West Side Story" and "Gypsy" in the 1950s. He went on to compose music as well, and in 1970, he achieved critical and commercial success with his musical "Company."
Over the course of his career, Sondheim won numerous awards and accolades, including eight Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is known for his intricate, intelligent lyrics and complex, often dissonant music, and his works have been hugely influential on the development of musical theater.
Sondheim's many notable works include "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Sweeney Todd," "Into the Woods," and "Sunday in the Park with George." He has continued to work in theater into his nineties, and his contributions to the form have been immeasurable.