The Fox Tucson Theatre will present a concert by Michael Feinstein, the two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award-nominated entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, where he started playing piano by ear as a 5-year-old, Feinstein moved to Los Angeles when he was 20. Introduced to Ira Gershwin in 1977 by the widow of concert pianist and actor Oscar Levant, Feinstein became Gershwin’s assistant for six years. This role earned him access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has since performed and recorded.
Feinstein has performed concerts all over the world, including at such iconic venues as The White House, Buckingham Palace, Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House. He earned his fifth Grammy nomination in 2009 for “The Sinatra Project” and his second Emmy nomination for “Michael Feinstein — The Sinatra Legacy,” which aired in 2011.
In 2007, Feinstein founded the Great American Songbook Foundation, which presents educational programs, master classes and the annual High School Songbook Academy. He serves on the Library of Congress National Recording Preservation Board.
The PBS series “Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook,” which won the ASCAP Deems-Taylor Television Broadcast Award, was broadcast for three seasons. On his nationally syndicated public radio program, “Song Travels,” Feinstein interviewed and performed with music luminaries such as Bette Midler, Herb Alpert, Joshua Bell, Liza Minnelli and Rickie Lee Jones.
For ticket information, visit foxtucson.com
