Tony Nominee Jarrod Spector to Mentor Students at 2016 Songbook Academy

Tony Award nominee Jarrod Spector (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) will join Songbook Academy founder, Michael Feinstein, for this one-of-a-kind music and performance intensive for high school students.

"The Songbook Academy is a transformative experience," said Michael Feinstein, founder of the Great American Songbook Foundation and Songbook Academy. "We spend every moment of our time sharing, educating, and developing a love for this music and its history in a way that we feel will change the lives of our students forever," said Feinstein.

The Songbook Academy will take place at the Songbook Foundation's headquarters in Carmel, Ind., July 16-23, 2016. Students will participate in a seven-day academy on interpreting and performing the music of the Great American Songbook. Five-time Grammy nominee, Michael Feinstein, and other top music and theatre industry professionals and educators will conduct workshops and master classes throughout the week. The week culminates in a performance that will be held in the 1,600 seat Palladium Concert Hall at the Center for the Performing Arts, of which Feinstein serves as Artistic Director. Tickets for this popular event go on sale Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at www.TheCenterPresents.org.

Having played "Frankie Valli" in Broadway's Jersey Boys for five years/1500 performances, Jarrod Spector went on to star in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical for two years, where he received a 2014 Tony Nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He has created three concert shows including A Little Help From My Friends, which explored the sound of the male tenor.... from The Beach Boys and Queen to U2 and Bruno Mars. The show was recorded as a CD on Broadway Records and filmed for public television stations.

Last year, Spector and his wife Kelli Barrett premiered their show This is Dedicated at New York's Broadway nightclub, Feinstein's/54 Below for an extended engagement, which has toured throughout the country. This fall, Jarrod & Kelli return to Feinstein's/54 Below in New York to open their new show.

Now in its seventh year, the Songbook Academy provides high school singers in grades 9-12 with the life-changing opportunity to work with music industry professionals and educators from top college arts programs to experience firsthand the uniquely American and culturally significant music known as the Great American Songbook. Recent Mentors have included: Tony nominee Laura Osnes; Grammy winner Janis Siegel; Grammy winner Sylvia McNair; and Grammy nominee Jane Monheit.

ABOUT THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK FOUNDATION

Five-time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein founded the Great American Songbook Foundation in 2007 with a mission to inspire and educate by celebrating the Great American Songbook. The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Ind., is the home of the Songbook Foundation. Tania Castroverde Moskalenko serves as the President/CEO of the organization. The work of the Foundation includes:

• The Songbook Academy
• Library, Archives, and Gallery Exhibits
• Great American Songbook Hall of Fame
• Educational and outreach programs
• PERFECT Harmony, music therapy based program for individuals with Alzheimer's disease or dementia

To learn more, visit: www.TheSongbook.org

ABOUT MICHAEL FEINSTEIN

Michael Feinstein, the multi-platinum-selling, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award nominated entertainer dubbed "The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook," is considered one of the premier interpreters of American standards. His 200-plus shows a year have included performances at Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House and the Hollywood Bowl as well as the White House and Buckingham Palace. Feinstein's work has received national recognition for his commitment to celebrating America's popular song and preserving its legacy for the next generation. He founded the Great American Songbook Foundation in 2007. Feinstein also serves as Artistic Director of the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, which opened in January 2011.

For more information, visit www.TheSongbook.org.

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