Boston Pops selections June 2011

Click here to listen to Michael Feinstein sing “The Song Is You”
from his CD The Sinatra Project.

The Boston Pops and Keith Lockhart usher two enormous talents to the Symphony Hall stage for an exploration of the American Songbook and the American Icons who have transformed its tunes into cultural cornerstones. First up is Michael Feinstein, a performer whose vocal acrobatics are matched with an archivist’s instinct for a century of great American music.  This two-part American Songbook program, first features a Boston Pops performance of light classical pieces, such as selections from Aaron Copland’s cowboy ballet Rodeo.  The spotlight then shifts to Mr. Feinstein, as he croons tunes from theFrank Sinatra Songbook, with his irresistible Rat Pack charm, on Tuesday, May 31, and Wednesday, June 1. The June 1 concert also features performances by the up-and-coming musicians who topped the 2011 Young Artists Competition at the Boston Pops presented by Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund®.

The Pops next welcome Ellis Hall, the former lead singer of Tower of Power, for an evening of Motown magic and the icons of soul.  As the first and only artist to sign to Ray Charles’s personal record label, Ellis Hall is arguably the best living artist to recall the Charles legacy and other legends of rhythm and blues on Friday, June 3, and Saturday, June 4. Boston Pops cellist Mihail Jojatu also takes center stage during these concerts to perform Gulda’s Concerto for Cello.

Tickets for The American Songbook and American Icons concerts range from $21 to $91, and may be purchased by visiting www.bostonpops.org, calling 888-266-1200, or visiting the Symphony Hall box office at 301 Massachusetts Avenue.

MORE ON MICHAEL FEINSTEIN – WWW.MICHAELFEINSTEIN.COM
Michael Feinstein, the multi-platinum-selling, five-time Grammy-nominated entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” is considered one of the premier interpreters of American standards. More than simply a performer, Feinstein is nationally recognized for his commitment to celebrating America’s popular song and preserving its legacy for the next generation. Feinstein serves as artistic director of the Center for the Performing Arts, a $170 million, three-theatre venue in Carmel, Indiana, which opened in January 2011. Starting in 2010, he also took over as director of the Jazz and Popular Song Series at New York’s Lincoln Center; sits on the Library of Congress’s National Recording Preservation Board. His Manhattan nightclub, Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, has presented the top talents of pop and jazz, including Rosemary Clooney, Barbara Cook, Glen Campbell, and Jane Krakowski. Mr. Feinstein was once assistant to the great Ira Gershwin, a position that earned him access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has since performed and recorded.
MORE ON ELLIS HALL WWW.ELLISHALL.COM
Ellis Hall is a multi-instrumentalist virtuoso and dynamic vocalist who has performed and recorded with a literal Who’s Who of musical elite including Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, John Mayer, Herbie Hancock, James Taylor, and his musical mentor Ray Charles. In the early years of his career, Ellis was featured as the lead vocalist performing with Kenny G. on his debut hit single, “What Does it Take.” He then joined the soul-stirring group Tower Of Power as lead vocalist, keyboardist, songwriter, arranger, and producer and enjoyed tremendous success as a member of the multi-platinum group, The California Raisins. He has also been a featured vocalist on soundtracks ranging from the TV series The West Wing and NYPD Blue to films such as “Lion King II,” “Chicken Run,” “Bruce Almighty,” “A Day Without A Mexican” and “Polar Express”.  Ellis has the honor of being the only artist, other than Ray Charles, to be signed to Charles’s label Crossover Records. Click here to watch a video introduction to Ellis Hall.