TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS
30TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON OPENING PERFORMANCE

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN
BIG BAND
PERFORM
THE SINATRA PROJECT

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011, 8:00 P.M.
IN BASS CONCERT HALL

PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KLRU-TV AND
L STYLE G STYLE

“…Feinstein sang it in his signature style – a sotto voice approach that brought out the romance of the lyrics.” – Kansas City Star

Electronic Images Available At:
TexasPerformingArts.org/media/press_resources

Michael Feinstein—long a champion of the Great American Songbook—opens Texas Performing Arts’ 30th anniversary season by paying tribute to the ultimate interpreter of song, Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, September 8 in Bass Concert Hall. The Sinatra Project is an evening based on Feinstein’s hit album of the same title.

Backed by a 17-piece big band, Feinstein focuses on songs written for Sinatra that were never recorded during his golden years at Capitol Records, and includes classics such as Begin the Beguine, Under My Skin, Fools Rush In, I’ve Got a Crush on You, and many more. “For years I’ve had the desire to celebrate Sinatra’s musical sensibilities, but had no desire to copy the classic songs that he rendered better than anyone else. I wanted to explore his style of singing and his style of music,” says Feinstein.

Michael Feinstein, the multi-platinum–selling, 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.

In 2003, Feinstein received a Grammy nomination for his release Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. His recent CD releases include Fly Me to the Moon, with guitar legend Joe Negri, and Cheek to Cheek, with Broadway icon Barbara Cook. 



Feinstein serves as artistic director of the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, which opened in January 2011. The theater will be home to an annual international Great American Songbook festival, diverse live programming, and a museum for Feinstein’s rare memorabilia and manuscripts. Starting in 2010, he was named director of the Jazz and Popular Song Series at New York’s Lincoln Center. 



Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook, his top-rated, three-part PBS documentary/reality series, was recently released on DVD. The roots of Feinstein’s work began in Columbus, Ohio, where he 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. Feinstein served as Ira Gershwin’s assistant for six years, which earned him access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has since performed and recorded.

CALENDAR LISTING
Thursday, September 8, 2011, 8:00 pm –Texas Performing Arts presents Michael Feinstein’s Big Band: Sinatra Project at Bass Concert Hall (E. 23rd St. and Robert Dedman Dr.) A map of the campus: texasperformingarts.org/visit/maps_directions. Tickets ($38 – $52 / Limited $10 student tickets / discounted tickets available for UT faculty & staff, seniors and Military) are on sale now at authorized ticket outlets, which include the Bass Concert Hall Box Office, most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Office outlets, online at TexasPerformingArts.org, or by calling (512) 477-6060 or (800) 982-BEVO.

PRESS CONTACT:
Gene Bartholomew; 512.471.0632 gbartholomew@TexasPerformingArts.org

Download the Michael Feinstein press release – PDF 124KB