Crooner swings to NCC stages
Imagine being invited to dinner by your idol.
That was the situation Michael Feinstein found himself in when he was invited to perform at a dinner party given by the legendary Frank Sinatra.
Sun-Times Media
When: 8 p.m. Nov. 14
Where: North Central College's Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton, Naperville
How much: $55, $60, $70
Contact: Call 630-637-7469 or visit finearts.northcentralcollege.edu
Feinstein was in his 20s at the time, but he never forgot the experience. He's paying tribute to "Old Blue Eyes" with his latest album, the Grammy-nominated "The Sinatra Project." He'll appear in concert at 8 p.m. Nov. 14 at North Central's College's Pfeiffer Hall.
Dubbed of "The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook," Feinstein is a multi-platinum selling five-time Grammy-award nominated singer best known for interpreting American songs, and for the success of his 1988 one-man Broadway show "Isn't It Romantic?"
He enjoys an active performance calendar, including concert halls, symphony orchestras, jazz clubs and college campuses.
"His salute to Frank Sinatra is very mellow, very easy listening," said North Central's fine arts director Brian Lynch. "He has an incredibly easy, relaxed performance style. Audiences just love him because he is so charming."
Naperville audiences will appreciate him for his "charm from the stage, the ease of his singing and the mellowness of his voice," Lynch said. "He's a fine performer and when you see that love of performing, it's infectious."
"The songs that I sing are classic songs which have stood the test of time," Feinstein said. "Like Shakespeare, Picasso, like any great art that lasts through the ages because of the resonances it has with the audiences. The songs I perform were written years ago but people respond the same way. They respond to the rhythm, the wit … these are songs that continue to find new fans and gain new recordings year after year."
Feinstein has been performing since he was a teen, and it's something that comes naturally to him, he said.
"Like anything, the more we do it, the better we become," he said. "It's something I enjoy, particularly being able to share music for which people seem to be so hungry. There's certainly a lot of interplay with the audience."
Feinstein loves to perform the works of Gershwin, as well as Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine," he said.
"I'm working with a 17-piece big band, and the sound of the band is just dazzling," he said. "People go crazy hearing this incredible live music."
When he's not performing live, Feinstein maintains a full schedule. He is readying a series for PBS called "Michael Feinstein: Man on a Mission," in which he examines the impact of the Great American Songbook throughout the world.
He is designing a new piano for Steinway called "The First Ladies," inspired by the piano at the White House.
He recently created a two-man show with actor Cheyenne Jackson called "The Power of Two,"
Feinstein will also serve as the artistic director of the Carmel Performing Arts Center in Carmel, Ind., which will host an annual international Great American Songbook festival, as well as live programming and a museum to house his memorabilia and manuscripts. Beginning next year, he will become the director of Popular Song Series at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
As if that weren't enough, Feinstein has been writing music for and producing a film about George Gershwin that is in pre-production at DreamWorks Studios, he said.
"I'm always interested in a new challenge."
As for his North Central College engagement, audiences can expect a "very lively and powerful sound" from his 17-piece band, along with song selections which are connected to Sinatra.
"It will be a lively, upbeat and yet intensely romantic experience," he said.
