Michael Feinstein: Songs that are love and the stories behind them

by | May 3, 2019 | What’s Happening

Sunday, May 19, 4 pm
Sandler Center for Performing Arts, Virginia Beach

Behind the beguiling ways of famed cabaret singer and pianist Michael Feinstein is an encyclopedic knowledge of the canon of popular music known as the Great American Songbook—the music of such iconic American composers and lyricists as George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, and so many more. Fans of the genre and of this extraordinary artist—dubbed the Ambassador of the Great American Songbook—can hear him perform at Virginia Beach’s Sandler Center.

Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Feinstein started playing piano by ear as a five-year-old. He moved to Los Angeles when he was 20, where through the widow of the legendary concert pianist and actor Oscar Levant, he met Ira Gershwin. Feinstein became Gershwin’s assistant for six years, gaining access to a treasure trove of unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has since performed and recorded.

Gershwin’s influence provided the inspiration and foundation for Feinstein evolving into a captivating performer, composer and arranger of his own original music, as well as an unparalleled interpreter of American music legends. For his scholarship, Feinstein has received three honorary doctorates; for his irresistible performances in venues including Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl as well as the White House and Buckingham Palace, he has won legions of fans, a stack of Grammy Award nominations, an Emmy nomination and more.

This program is co-presented with The Helen G. Gifford Foundation.

For tickets and information, visit vafest.org.