Michael Feinstein Biography

Composer, conductor, and musician Michael Feinstein was born in 1956 in Columbus, Ohio. He began studying piano at the young age of five, relying on a talent for playing by ear instead of reading sheet music, which led to the end of his formal lessons and the beginning of his self-driven study of music.  In 1976, Michael’s family moved to Los Angeles and in 1977 he was hired by Ira Gershwin to assist with The Gershwin archives. He kept the job all the way until Gershwin’s death in 1983.

A year later, Michael Feinstein began playing parties in the Los Angeles area, focusing on classic music of the 1930’s and 1940’s. He began a lengthy stretch of performances at the Algonquin Hotel in New York in 1986, which led to not only some recognition, but also a debut album, Live at the Algonquin. Within two years, Feinstein found himself with a record contract, and a string of albums followed: Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin (1998), Romance on Film, Romance on Broadway (2000), Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (2001), Hopeless Romantics (2005), and The Sinatra Project (2008.)

As of 2008, Michael Feinstein heads the Great American Songbook Initiative, with the goal of preserving and exhibiting music works so that the coming generations can appreciate them and their significance to our lives and culture. In addition to the preservation goals, the initiative also holds a competition that provides an opportunity for the winner to receive additional vocal training and an opportunity to perform with Michael Feinstein. The initiative also birthed a three-part documentary series that shares the story of the American popular song; it aired on PBS in 2010.

In 2012, Michael Feinstein was named Principal Pops Conductor for the Pasadena POPS. His contract has him serving in that position through at least the year 2019, if not longer. With Feinstein at the helm, the Passadena POPS has grown in popularity and reputation. Feinstein’s latest album, Change of Heart: The Songs of Andre Previn, was released in 2013. A Christmas album followed in 2014. In addition to his music, Michael Feinstein has also published his memoir, The Gershwins and Me: A Personal History in Twelve Songs (2012.) The book has an accompanying CD of music.