Michael Feinstein to Join Colburn School Students in Benefit Concert This Fall

Students from the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts and the Colburn Conservatory of Music will join Michael Feinstein, founder of the Great American Songbook Foundation, for a benefit event in Zipper Hall on October 22, 2016 at 7:30 pm. The evening will highlight the music of legendary film composer David Raksin, as well as show tunes and original works. The concert will be preceded by a cocktail reception for all attendees, and a post-concert dinner with Michael Feinstein for VIP ticket-holders.

With over 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, David Raksin is known as the grandfather of film music. He began his career working with Charlie Chaplin on the score for Modern Times, and his theme for the film Laura is considered the second most widely recorded song in history. Stephen Sondheim praised his composition for the film The Bad and the Beautiful as "one of the best themes ever written in films." He taught at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. He died in 2004.

IF YOU GO:

Michael Feinstein on Grand Avenue

October 22, 2016

Herbert Zipper Concert Hall at the Colburn School

Reception 6:30 pm

Concert 7:30 pm

Concert-only tickets $250

Visit colburnschool.edu/feinstein for complete information.

Limited VIP tickets with post-concert dinner - Contact Dianna Factor to reserve your VIP tickets at rsvp@colburnschool.edu or213-621-1010.

All proceeds benefit the Colburn School and the Great American Songbook Foundation.

Michael Feinstein has built a dazzling career over the last three decades bringing the music of The Great American songbook to the world. 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, his work as an educator and archivist define Feinstein as one of the most important musical forces of our time.

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. Mr. 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.

Mr. Feinstein was named Principal Pops Conductor for the Pasadena Symphony in 2012 and made his conducting debut in June 2013 to celebrated critical acclaim. Under Mr. 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, Florida in 2014.

Mr. 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. Mr. 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.

The Colburn School comprises four academic units united by a single philosophy that all who have a desire to study the performing arts should have the opportunity and access to excellent training. The degree-granting Conservatory of Music, the open enrollment Community School of Performing Arts, the Music Academy for pre-college musicians, and the pre-professional Dance Academy, a program of the Colburn School's Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, provide training to over 2,000 students from the Los Angeles area and across the world. The renowned teachers, performers, and scholars that make up Colburn's dedicated faculty serve as invaluable mentors to guide students' artistic development.

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

The work of the Foundation includes:

· The Songbook Academy

· Educational and outreach programming

· Library, Archives, and Gallery Exhibits

· Great American Songbook Hall of Fame

Visit Songbook.org to learn more.