For Americans who came of age in the latter half of the 20th century, no name was more synonymous with contemporary interpretation and popularization of classical music than Leonard Bernstein. He was a true culture hero for those times: a vigorous champion of music by American composers, and the first to establish international credibility for American-born conductors; the classical world’s prime ambassador to the high-culture Camelot of the Kennedy White House, and composer of the slain leader’s most famous musical memorial (the Kaddish Symphony); a genius at exploiting the potential of the new medium of television to educate the masses about classical music, especially through his long-running series of Young People’s Concerts. He was a major figure in the fusion of jazz and music of the theater with classical composition. Many of the Baby Boom generation saw their first live performance of the New York Philharmonic or their first outdoor concert at Tanglewood under Lenny’s baton. And then, of course, there is that certifiable Broadway classic, West Side Story.

Two decades after his death, Bernstein remains the second-most-performed American classical composer, after Copland. But young folks coming up today don’t have his works embedded in their consciousness the way that previous generations did. So maybe it’s a good time for a refresher course of concerts, both for young people and their parents. Maverick Concerts have taken up that challenge this summer, with a series of performances called “Bernstein and Friends.”

The series kicked off last Sunday with a concert by Trio Solisti, which included a lecture/demonstration by one of Bernstein’s last and most accomplished students, composer Bright Sheng. It continues this Saturday evening, July 23 at 8 p.m. with a program focusing on the pop side of Bernstein, called “The Leonard Bernstein Songbook.” Vocalists Bar Scott and Terry Blaine, pianist Peter Tomlinson, guitarist/vocalist Perry Beekman and bassist Lou Pappas will transform the rustic, historic Maverick Concert Hall into a cabaret as they render selections from the maestro’s compositions for musical theater. The program will include both familiar favorites and lesser-known numbers from such shows as West Side Story, On the Town, Wonderful Town and Candide, set within a context of other 20th-century standards from the “Great American Songbook.” Ticket prices are $40 for reserved seating, $25 general admission and $5 for students.

The following weekend, “Bernstein and Friends” will revive the spirit of the Young People’s Concerts with a Saturday matinee show tailored to kids. Piano duo Andrew Russo and Frederic Chiu will perform “Bernstein Magic: Highlights from West Side Story” starting at 11 a.m. on July 30. Children are admitted free; adults pay $5 and receive a coupon worth $5 off a regular concert ticket.

Russo and Chiu return on Sunday afternoon, July 31 at 4 p.m. with “Bernstein and Friends III.” The program includes Mahler’s “Nachtmusik I and II” from Symphony No.7, “The Song of the Night,” in addition to Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2 based on the poetry of W. H. Auden, “The Age Of Anxiety,” and the “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story. Again, ticket prices are $40 for reserved seating, $25 general admission and $5 for students.

The Maverick Theater is located on Maverick Road, off Route 375 a bit south of downtown Woodstock. For more information visit the website at www.maverickconcerts.org/schedule.html.