ABOUT THE CENTER AND INITIATIVE In May of 2011, the board of directors at the Center for the Performing Arts voted on an affiliation with the Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Initiative. The organizations’ individual boards cited a shared vision and a desire to maximize resources as the deciding factor to create an affiliation between the two non-profit 501(c)3 organizations. The Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Initiative is located on the Gallery level of the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to an expansive archive, gallery and administrative offices, the Initiative produces the Great American Songbook High School Vocal Academy and Competition. The national endeavor is the only high school competition in the U.S. dedicated solely to the music from Broadway, Hollywood musicals and the Tin Pan Alley era of the early to mid-twentieth century. As Artistic Director at the Center for the Performing Arts, Michael Feinstein curates the Songbook concert series and leads the Center’s musical programming. Given the origin in Indiana of such legendary songwriters as Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael, the Palladium concert hall provides a home for this treasure trove of American music — both physically and artistically. Families, scholars and guests to the Palladium have the opportunity to discover the Great American Songbook via the combined resources — and concert programming — offered by the Center for the Performing Arts and the Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Initiative.
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