2024 Guest Mentors

In addition to our founder and 5-time GRAMMY nominee Michael Feinstein, our Songbook Academy Guest Mentors come to us from all corners of the music industry, whether from the Broadway stage or the recording studio. Read about this summer's special guests, who have graced Broadway stages in countless roles from Glinda in Wicked to Aaron Burr in Hamilton, been recognized with multiple GRAMMY Awards and Tony nominations, toured the country (and world), and much more!

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN (Founder) is the multi-platinum-selling, two-time Emmy and five-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated entertainer known as “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook.” Beyond his recordings and his performances at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, the White House and Buckingham Palace, he is recognized internationally for his commitment to celebrating America’s popular song and preserving its legacy for future generations. His latest album is Gershwin Country, featuring duets with Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley and other country stars. Feinstein founded the Great American Songbook Foundation in 2007 and serves as Artistic Director for the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, where the Foundation is headquartered. In addition to serving as Principal Pops Conductor for the Pasadena Symphony, his signature nightclubs include Feinstein’s at the Nikko in San Francisco and Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael in Carmel.

Fun fact: Shortly after moving to Los Angeles when he was only 20 years old, the widow of legendary concert pianist-actor Oscar Levant introduced Michael to Ira Gershwin. Feinstein became Gershwin’s assistant for six years (pictured above), which earned him access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has since performed and recorded. Gershwin’s influence provided a solid base upon which Feinstein evolved into a captivating performer, composer and arranger of his own original music. He also has become an unparalleled interpreter of music legends such as Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington and Harry Warren. Through his live performances, recordings, film and television appearances, and his songwriting (in collaboration with Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Lindy Robbins, Bob Merrill and Marshall Barer), Feinstein is an all-star force in American music.

JOSHUA HENRY is a GRAMMY Award-winning performer and recording artist best known for his Tony-nominated leading roles in Carousel, The Scottsboro Boys, and Violet, as well as for his show-stopping performance as 'Aaron Burr' in the cultural phenomenon, HAMILTON. In December 2022, Joshua gave a critically acclaimed performance as 'Gaston' in Disney's “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration”(EP: Jon Chu) live on ABC. Joshua's debut album GROW is available worldwide on all streaming platforms, and his highly anticipated second studio album is set for release in spring 2023. He is a BMG recording artist and recently opened for Diana Ross at The Hollywood Bowl. On screen he starred as 'Roger Bart' in the Academy Award-nominated film tick, tick...BOOM! directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. He also starred as 'Jerlamarel' opposite Jason Momoa in two seasons of Apple TV+’s show SEE. Most recently, Joshua starred in the Broadway revival of Into The Woods, for which he won a GRAMMY Award for his performance as a principal vocalist on the 2022 Broadway revival cast recording. His other Broadway credits include In the Heights, Waitress, Shuffle Along, American Idiot, Porgy and Bess, Bring It On: The Musical. Off-Broadway: In the Heights, The Wrong Man. @joshuahenryofficial

NICOLE ZURAITIS is a GRAMMY® Award-winning (2024) jazz singer-songwriter, pianist and arranger, New York-based bandleader, and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. With a “heart as big as her remarkable voice,” (Jazz Police), Nicole has positioned herself as one of the top artists and "prolific songwriters" (Broadway World) to watch in jazz and beyond. As a recording artist, Nicole has released five albums as leader, and her sixth album How Love Begins, co-produced with eight-time GRAMMY-winner Christian McBride (2023), features all original music and was awarded the GRAMMY for BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM. In addition to leading her quartet, Nicole is the premier vocalist for the Birdland Big Band and frequently headlines iconic NYC jazz clubs like Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, Birdland, the Blue Note, the Carlyle, 54 Below and the late, great 55 Bar. She has appeared as a featured soloist with the Savannah Philharmonic, Asheville Symphony, and Macon Pops, and has supported iconic singers like Melanie, Morgan James, Darren Criss, and Livingston Taylor on piano and vocals. Nicole's arrangement of Dolly Parton's Jolene, co-written with renowned drummer and bandleader Dan Pugach, was nominated for a 2019 GRAMMY®, springboarding her career and making her a household name in the modern-day jazz landscape. In 2020, she was named in the top 40 under 40 for 2020 in Connecticut Magazine, and her weekly livestream during the Covid-19 crisis, "Virtual Piano Lounge," was featured in Forbes Magazine. Nicole has collaborated with an extensive list of luminaries, including Christian McBride, David Cook, Gilad Hekselman, Veronica Swift, Benny Benack, Stephen Feifke, Cyrille Aimee, Antonio Sanchez, Dave Stryker, Omar Hakim, Rachel Z, Helen Sung, and Bernard Purdie. She is a proud educator and currently vocal faculty at NYU and SUNY Purchase. An ardent activist with a decade-long track record of giving back, her 2023 album release coincided with a self-produced music festival and day of activism for Save the Sound.Org. For more information, visit www.nicolezmusic.com or tag @nicolezmusic.