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Krannert Center for the Performing Arts »
Address: 500 S. Goodwin Ave. Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: (217) 333-6700
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On Friday Oct. 23, Urbana’s Krannert Center will host two legends from different sides of the American music spectrum, pianist Michael Feinstein and composer Marvin Hamlisch.

It may not be as simple as a guest pianist and composer, but this rare opportunity for a visit from two great interpreters of American music together is a musical bonanza for our community. In a program that takes a stroll through the “Great American Songbook,” Feinstein and Hamlisch plan to craft a memorable evening in CU.

With a closer look at the two musicians, one can gain an appreciation for traditional music throughout the evening. Michael Feinstein was born in Columbus, Ohio 53 years ago, where at a young age he developed a fascination with the piano that led his teachers to concede to his unorthodox style. In 1976, when his family moved to Los Angeles, Feinstein met pianist/composer Oscar Levant’s widow. His love of the piano and ability to ad-lib melodies merged with a new love, the music of the Gershwins. Mrs. Levant introduced the young Feinstein to Ira Gershwin, and he was hired to organize the Gershwin archives. Following Ira Gershwin’s death in 1983, Michael Feinstein became the foremost scholar and archivist of the music of George and Ira Gershwin, lauching his career through interpretation of the catalog.

In 1984, Feinstein launched a performing career that would encompass more than 40 CDs as a pianist and vocalist. In addition to the music of the Gershwins, his performing career would revitalize the great music of the 1930s and 1940s. By the beginning of the new century, he was a performing and recording celebrity, and had appeared on PBS’ Great Performances. His anthologies of American music have not only emphasized the music of the ‘30s and ‘40s, but have also included such modern masters of song as Stephen Sondheim and Gretchen Cryer.

Marvin Hamlisch’s work can be found on more than 70 CDs, including film scores, Broadway shows, and symphonic conducting. Like Feinstein, Hamlisch is an accomplished pianist and singer, but he is best known for his work as a composer. Born in 1944 in New York City, the 1967 graduate of Queens.

College broke into show business as a rehearsal pianist for Barbara Streisand while the actress was working on Funny Girl. This led to Hamlisch’s first contract for a film score, 1968’s The Swimmer. Since that breakthrough, he has won an Emmy, the Pulitzer Prize, a Golden Globe, a Tony, and three Academy Awards.

Hamlisch’s reputation in the world of music has also led to appointments as pops conductor of such orchestras as the Pittsburgh Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, National Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Colorado Symphony, and a 2006 appearance at Krannert with the Royal Philharmonic. His 12 Oscar nominations reflect a prolific composing career that has spanned 40 films and seven Broadway shows. With Feinstein’s superb knowledge of the America song and Marvin Hamlisch’s flourishes at the keyboard, the evening’s arrangements will not only fill your ears with a unique experience but also a touch of American history.