Michael Feinstein Releases We Dream These Days June 21

Michael Feinstein, the platinum-selling vocalist and pianist, will release We Dreamed These Days, his new CD recorded with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra, on June 21. The disc, released through DuckHole Records, is available on iTunes, Amazon.com and in stores. All proceeds from this recording benefit The Feinstein Foundation and the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. The orchestra is conducted by Dr. David Bowden. We Dreamed These Days was produced by Michael Feinstein and Paul Andre, and assembled by Andy Brattain and John Oddo. Michael's new TV special "The Sinatra Legacy" starts airing on PBS affiliates around the country in August. Recorded live at the Carmel Performing Arts Center, the show honors not only Sinatra, but his contemporaries including Ray Charles, Peggy Lee and Fred Astaire.

We Dreamed These Days, which combines Feinstein's powerful vocals with the lush and sweeping symphony orchestra, features theater songs from Oliver! ("As Long As She Needs Me") and Stop The World - I Want To Get Off ("What Kind of Fool Am I?"); timeless classic by Henry Mancini ("Two For The Road") and Johnny Mercer ("I Remember You"); as well as standards from a newer generation of songwriters like Peter Allen ("I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love") and Neil Sedaka ("The Hungry Years").

The disc includes world premiere recordings of two songs composed by Feinstein himself. The title track "We Dreamed These Days" has Feinstein's melody set to words by Dr. Maya Angelou. Written for the 200th Birthday Celebration of Abraham Lincoln, it was first performed live on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. "Collaborating with Maya was an absolute joy as we have been friends for many years," says Michael, "yet to write with her was a heady experience. She came up with an idea and then the lyrics came rather quickly. The process of crafting music to her words made me work as hard I possibly could to try to express in music the emotion inherent in her prose. When she expressed approval of the finished work, I was thrilled."

The other new song "With You" has lyrics by Lindy Robbins and has a cinematic arrangement crafted by Alan Broadbent. Michael commented "It's an unusual lyrical expression, very plaintive and bittersweet, and not your grandparent's kind of love song."

"Working with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra is a very fulfilling experience," he continues. "Over the years I have collected a variety of historic symphonic orchestrations and was able to record some of them for the first time." The recording includes a classic chart by Nelson Riddle ("If They Ask Me") and one created for Bing Crosby ("Dream A Little Dream Of Me"). There are also several beautifully crafted new orchestrations created expressly for the CD by John Oddo. Michael remarked, "his arrangement of "What Kind Of Fool Am I" is one of my favorites as his harmonic palette amplifies the sense of pathos in the words. I am very happy with the result and am spoiled, musically speaking, because after working with a symphony it's hard to settle for less!"

This recording was made possible by Steven Libman, the President and CEO of The Center for the Performing Arts; and Alan Davis, the President and CEO of the Carmel Symphony Orchestra.

The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel provides its region with a cultural attraction of world-class quality and scale. The multi-venue Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana - just outside of Indianapolis - first opened its facilities on January 29, 2011, when it inaugurates its concert hall The Palladium. The Center's other venues, currently under construction, will be a 200-seat studio theater and The Tarkington, a 500-seat proscenium theater. Given a gracious and elegant form by architect David M. Schwarz Architects Inc. with local consultation by from CSO Architects, the 1,600-seat, 154,000-square-foot Palladium is the only true concert hall in its region and features an acoustic design by the renowned firm of Artec Consultants.

The Feinstein Foundation for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook will have its permanent home at The Palladium at the Center for Performing Arts. Given the origin in Indiana of such legendary songwriters as Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael, as well as Michael Feinstein's own roots in the Midwest, the Foundation's relocation to Carmel is something of a homecoming for this treasure trove of American music. Students, teachers, families and other visitors to the Center will have the opportunity to view selections from the Foundation's collection; and as Artistic Director of the Center, Michael Feinstein also plans to host an international Great American Songbook Festival. In time, an education center and museum will be built at The Palladium to support the Foundation's activities.

Michael Feinstein, five-time Grammy-nominated entertainer dubbed "The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook," is considered one of the premier interpreters of American standards. His 150-plus shows a year have included performances at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl as well as the White House and Buckingham Palace. Feinstein is nationally recognized for his commitment to celebrating America's popular song and preserving its legacy for the next generation. He serves on the Library of Congress' National Recording Preservation Board.

Feinstein's earned his fifth Grammy Award nomination in 2009 for The Sinatra Project, his Concord Records CD celebrating the music of "Ol' Blue Eyes." His PBS series "Michael Feinstein's American Songbook" - in which he uncovers treasures of classic American music - is now available on DVD, with an additional disc of bonus features. The series, the recipient of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Television Broadcast Award, will return with six primetime episodes in 2012. Recently, he released the CDs The Power Of Two - collaborating with "Glee" and "30 Rock" star Cheyenne Jackson - and Cheek To Cheek, recorded with Broadway legend Barbara Cook.

Starting in 2010, he also took over as director of Jazz and Popular Song Series at New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center. Feinstein is working with MGM to turn The Thomas Crown Affair into a Broadway musical. In 2004, he completed a national tour with songwriting icon Jimmy Webb based on their CD Only One Life - The Songs of Jimmy Webb. The disc was named one of "10 Best CDs of the Year" by USA Today.

His Manhattan nightclub, Feinstein's at Loews Regency, has presented the top talents of pop and jazz, including Rosemary Clooney, Glen Campbell, Diahann Carroll, Cheyenne Jackson, Jane Krakowski, Lea Michele, Cyndi Lauper, Jason Mraz and Alan Cumming.

The roots of all this work began in Columbus, Ohio, where Feinstein started playing piano by ear as a 5-year-old. After graduating from high school, he worked in local piano lounges for two years, moving to Los Angeles when he was 20. The widow of legendary concert pianist-actor Oscar Levant introduced him to Ira Gershwin in July 1977. Feinstein became Gershwin's assistant for six years, which earned him access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has since performed and recorded. For more information, please visit www.michaelfeinstein.com.