Michael Feinstein & Jean-Yves Thibaudet to Join Forces for TWO PIANOS: WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE?

Two of today's most celebrated artists, Michael Feinstein and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, will join forces for the first time in Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More?, an innovative program celebrating the music of George Gershwin and his world which is set for debut this week with dates being added into 2025.

Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More? showcases music spanning the 20th-century world of classical music and of the 20th and 21st centuries of the Great American Songbook, presented with commentary and anecdotes that provide a historical and social context of the works. A centerpiece of the program will feature lost and unknown Gershwin works, some originally conceived for two pianos, alongside his more beloved works including Rhapsody in Blue. Other works will include those penned by Alec Wilder, Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein, and Richard Rodgers, along with forays into jazz, ragtime, Latin music, and stride. The concert program will feature piano duos, solos, and vocals, and custom selections tailored to each individual performance; the show is available in both a two-piano and two-piano with orchestra format.

Currently announced dates include duo performances at Palm Desert, CA's McCallum Theatre (March 3 & 4) and Scottsdale, AZ's Highlands Church (March 5); orchestra performances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (June 17), The Cleveland Orchestra (July 23, at the Blossom Music Festival), the Boston Pops (July 14, at Tanglewood), and the Sun Valley Music Festival orchestra during the Festival's 2023 Gala Concert (August 8); and a performance at Carnegie Hall featuring a special guest (December 13, guest to be announced). More dates will be announced later this season.

Born of a serendipitous encounter between the two artists at a summer music festival, Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More? showcases each artist's unique gifts for creativity, virtuosity, and sheer joy of music making. Feinstein is a renowned vocalist/pianist/conductor and the leading authority on the Great American Songbook. Thibaudet has built a 30-year reputation not only as one of today's finest pianists, but also for his imaginative partnerships in film, fashion, and visual art. Together, Feinstein and Thibaudet form a uniquely prodigious artistic and creative force.

"It is a rare, humbling, and joyful opportunity to collaborate with Jean-Yves," says Feinstein. "Having been a fervent admirer of his for so long, it's a heady experience to actually create with him in tandem. As an artist he is a peerless musical talent, one truly for the ages!"

"This opportunity to collaborate with Michael is really a dream come true," says Thibaudet. "Since our first meeting I felt that incredible chemistry between us and always wanted to share the stage with him. I am so excited about this project, and I know it will be magical because we will truly inspire each other."

Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More? comprises a tailored sequence of distinct musical chapters. In "Gershwin Fantasy," Feinstein and Thibaudet will treat the audience to a variety of well-known melodies by the composer, concluding with the iconic Rhapsody in Blue. "The Unknown Gershwin" features a selection of lesser-known, unpublished, and posthumously published pieces including "French Ballet Class," "Sleepless Night," "Promenade (Walking The Dog)," "Two Waltzes in C," "Short Story," and "Rialto Ripples," and concludes with the world premiere of an unpublished and previously unknown Gershwin melody.

"Rodgers Waltzes" includes a selection by the eponymous composer, including the Rodgers and Hart compositions "Lover," "Wait Till You See Her," "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World," and "Over and Over Again," as well as the Rodgers and Hammerstein song "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'." A suite of performances-with Feinstein on vocal duties- includes Bill Charlap's arrangement of Alec Wilder's "I'll Be Around," Leonard Bernstein's "Lucky to Be Me" and "Some Other Time" (in Bill Evans's arrangement), plus Jimmy Van Heusen's "Here's That Rainy Day."

Performance Details:

Michael Feinstein and Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More?

Specially arranged suites and duos, including:

Gershwin Fantasy
A suite of well-known melodies, ending with Rhapsody in Blue

The Unknown Gershwin
"French Ballet Class"
"Sleepless Night"
"Promenade (Walking The Dog)"
Two Waltzes in C
"Short Story" (arr. Alois Reiser)
"Rialto Ripples"
Unknown melody [World Premiere]

Rodgers Waltzes
"Lover"
"Wait Till You See Her"
"The Most Beautiful Girl In The World"
"Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'"

Vocal Suite
Wilder: "I'll Be Around" (arr. Bill Charlap)
Bernstein: "Lucky To Be Me"
Bernstein: "Some Other Time" (arr. Bill Evans)
Van Heusen: "Here's That Rainy Day"

Repertoire and order subject to change

Announced Dates

March 3 & 4, 2023

McCallum Theatre
Palm Desert, CA

March 5, 2023

Highlands Church
Scottsdale, AZ

June 17, 2023

Orchestra Hall
Detroit, MI
With the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

July 3, 2023

Blossom Music Center
Cleveland, OH
With The Cleveland Orchestra

July 14, 2023

Tanglewood Music Center
Lenox, MA
With The Boston Pops

August 8, 2023

Sun Valley Pavilion
Sun Valley, ID
With the Sun Valley Festival Orchestra

December 13, 2023

Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY
With special guest (to be announced)