Michael Jay Feinstein was born on 7 September 1956, in Columbus, Ohio USA, and is a pianist, singer and music revivalist, best known for being the archivist of the repertoire called the Great American Songbook. He is also a recording artist nominated five times for Grammy Awards, and all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Michael Feinstein? As of early-2017, sources estimate a net worth that is at $10 million, mostly earned through a successful career in the music industry. He won a Drama Desk Special Award for his work on musical theatre songs, and is also the Artistic Director for The Center for the Performing Arts; his endeavors continue, so his wealth should increase.
Michael Feinstein Net Worth $10 million
At five years old, Michael would start learning the piano but struggled since he was more comfortable playing by ear, so his mother took him out of lessons and allowed him to learn his own way. After matriculating from high school, he would start to pursue a career in music.
Feinstein played in local piano bars for two years before moving to Los Angeles when he was 20 years old, where Ira Gershwin hired him to catalogue his large collection of phonograph records; over the next six years, he catalogued and preserved unpublished music of the Gershwins. In 1983, Michael became the musical consultant for the Broadway show entitled “My One and Only”, and started to build up his popularity, becoming well known as a cabaret singer-pianist. His work on the Great American Songbook was also getting attention. He recorded his first CD in 1987 called “Pure Gershwin”, and followed it up with “Remember: Michael Feinstein Sings Irving Berlin”. He then released “Isn’t It Romantic” – a collection of standards – and “Over There”, music from World War I. He also recorded a children’s album called “Pure Imagination” which was released in 1992.
Around this time, Michael started appearing in a series of Broadway shows, before working on a songbook project, collaborating with several composers. Some of his next few releases would include Burton Lane, Jule Styne, and Jerry Herman. In the late 1990s, he released more Gershwin music in albums such as “Nice Work If You Can Get It: Songs by the Gershwins”. The Library of Congress would appoint Michael to be part of the National Recording Preservation Board in 2000, and in 2009 he would become the artistic director of The Center for the Performing Arts. Around the same time, he partnered with Cheyenne Jackson and would create a nightclub act called “The Power of Two”, which gained a lot of critical acclaim.
Feinstein has appeared in several television shows, talk shows, and documentaries; he hosted the radio program “Song Travels with Michael Feinstein” distributed by NPR. In 2012, he was named as the Principal Pops Conductor for the Pasadena POPS and his debut received critical acclaim. He released a memoir called “The Gershwins and Me: A Personal History in Twelve Songs” about working for Ira Gershwin. One of his latest projects is “Michael Feinstein at the Rainbow Room”. His contract with the Pasadena POPS has also been extended through 2019.
For his personal life, it is known that Michael married longtime partner Terrence Flannery in 2008. Their wedding was conducted by Judge Judy and the couple have homes in locations including Los Angeles, Indiana and New York.
