Michael Feinstein
Michael Feinstein, ambassador of the Great American Songbook, has built a dazzling career throughout the last three decades. From recordings that have earned him five Grammy nominations to his Emmy-nominated PBS-TV specials, his acclaimed NPR series, and concerts that span the globe, his work as an educator and archivist define him as one of the most important musical forces of our time.
In 2007, Mr. Feinstein founded the Great American Songbook Foundation, dedicated to celebrating the art form and preserving it through educational programs, master classes, and the annual Songbook Academy for high school students. He also serves on the Library of Congress’ National Recording Preservation Board, which ensures the future of America’s sound recording heritage.
The most recent album from his multi-platinum recording career is A Michael Feinstein Christmas on Concord Records, featuring Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Alan Broadbent. In 2009, Mr. Feinstein earned his fifth Grammy nomination for The Sinatra Project.
His Emmy Award-nominated TV special Michael Feinstein: The Sinatra Legacy–taped live at the Palladium in Carmel, Indiana–aired nationally in 2011. The PBS series Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook was broadcast for three seasons and is available on DVD. His most recent primetime PBS-TV special, New Year’s Eve at the Rainbow Room–written and directed by Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry–aired in 2014. For his nationally syndicated public radio program Song Travels, Mr. Feinstein interviews and performs alongside music luminaries.
Mr. Feinstein was named principal conductor of the Pasadena POPS in 2012. Two years later, he launched an additional pops series at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is also artistic director of the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, and director of the Jazz and Popular Song series at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Feinstein’s at the Nikko, Mr. Feinstein’s nightclub at San Francisco’s Nikko Hotel, has presented the top music talents since 2013. He debuted at Feinstein’s / 54 Below, his new club in New York City, in late 2015.
After graduating from high school, Michael Feinstein moved to Los Angeles, where the widow of legendary pianist-actor Oscar Levant introduced him to Ira Gershwin. 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 Feinstein became Gershwin’s assistant for six years, which earned him access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has since performed and recorded.
For additional information, visit michaelfeinstein.com.
Ali McGregor
Ali McGregor started her career as a principal soprano with Opera Australia in 2000. After performing more than 25 roles, she crept into The Famous Spiegeltent, beginning her love affair with cabaret. She eventually ran away with the circus, joining the hit show La Soirée in 2005. Her shows have toured to international festivals, including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Fringe World (Perth), Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Adelaide Fringe, and London Wonderground. As an actress, Ms. McGregor has performed with the Sydney Theatre Company under the direction of Max Stafford-Clark. She has been nominated for three Green Room Awards, winning for Best Supporting Actress in an Opera (La Cenerentola), and was awarded the ThreeWeeksEditors’ Award in 2013. She has also performed with Broomhill Opera and Clonter Opera in the UK, and most recently with Melbourne Opera in the title role of The Merry Widow. Ms. McGregor has released two independent studio CDs–Jazz Cigarette and Alchemy–and released both a CD and DVD of Jazzamatazz!, which was nominated for an ARIA Award in 2014. In 2015, she was awarded a Green Room Award for her contribution to cabaret and was also named the new artistic director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. She is currently working on a show about Peruvian soprano Yma Sumac, which is scheduled to debut in June 2018.
The Honey Taps
With a nostalgic wink to flappers of the roaring 1920s and bubbly chorus girls of the swinging ’30s and ’40s, The Honey Taps are a song-and-dance act that pays homage to a bygone era. The Honey Taps have appeared nationally and internationally at iconic venues, including the Rainbow Room, The Plaza, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, The Queen Mary, USS Midway Museum, and Palais Royale. The group was recently featured on the Emmy-winning Broadway episode of Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi, now airing nationwide on PBS. Collectively, The Honey Taps boast an impressive resume, including Broadway and national touring productions of 42nd Street, Anything Goes,Hamilton, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and White Christmas, as well as with the Radio City Rockettes. Catch The Honey Taps live with Grammy-winning Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks in New York City or at the world famous Cicada Club in Los Angeles. Learn more about the gals with the happy feet at honeytaps.com.
