Michael Feinstein Brings The Legends Of The Great American Songbook To The McCallum
By: David Green Feb. 07, 2020
Michael Feinstein-one of today's greatest promoters and presenters of the Great American Songbook, and a McCallum Theatre favorite-is returning for a special evening of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee and others, at 8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 28. From recordings that have earned him five Grammy Award nominations to his Emmy-nominated PBS specials, his acclaimed NPR series and concerts spanning the globe-in addition to his appearances at iconic venues such as the White House, Buckingham Palace, Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House-his work as an educator and archivist defines Feinstein as one of the most important musical forces of our time.
Feinstein was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, where he started playing piano by ear as a 5-year-old. After graduating from high school, he moved 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 Feinstein became Gershwin's assistant for six years, which earned him access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has since performed and recorded.
Gershwin's influence provided a solid base upon which Feinstein evolved into a captivating performer, composer and arranger of his own original music. He also has become an unparalleled interpreter of music legends such as Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington and Harry Warren. Feinstein has received three honorary doctorates.
In 2007, he founded the Great American Songbook Foundation, dedicated to celebrating the art form and preserving it through educational programs, master classes, and the annual High School Songbook Academy. This summer intensive, open to students from across the country, has produced graduates who have gone on to record acclaimed albums and appear on television programs such as NBC's America's Got Talent. Feinstein serves on the Library of Congress' National Recording Preservation Board, an organization dedicated to ensuring the survival, conservation and increased public availability of America's sound-recording heritage.
Feinstein was named principal Pops conductor for the Pasadena Symphony in 2012 and made his conducting debut in June 2013 to critical acclaim. Under Feinstein's leadership, the Pasadena Pops has quickly become a premier orchestral presenter of the Great American Songbook with definitive performances of rare orchestrations and classic arrangements. He launched an additional Pops series at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Palm Beach, Fla., in 2014.
Feinstein serves as artistic director of the Palladium Center for the Performing Arts, a $170 million, three-theatre venue in Carmel, Ind., which opened in January 2011. The theater is home to diverse live programming and a museum for his rare memorabilia and manuscripts. Since 1999, he has served as artistic director for Carnegie Hall's "Standard Time with Michael Feinstein" in conjunction with ASCAP. In 2010, he became the director of the Jazz and Popular Song Series at New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Feinstein's at the Nikko, his nightclub at San Francisco's Nikko Hotel, has presented the top talents of pop and jazz since 2013. He debuted at Feinstein's/54 Below, his new club in New York, late in 2015. His first venue in New York, Feinstein's at the Regency, featured major entertainers from 1999 to 2012.
Tickets for this performance are priced at $130, $100 and $70. Tickets are available at the Theatre's website at www.mccallumtheatre.com or by calling the McCallum Theatre Box Office at (760) 340-2787.
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