Chris Isaak at Songbook Gala

Actor and retro-rocker Chris Isaak will be the featured performer at this year’s Songbook Celebration, the annual gala supporting the artistic and educational programs of the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel on September 15th.

This year’s Songbook inductees

Presented by Krieg DeVault, the Sept. 15 event at the Palladium also celebrates the Center’s affiliation with the Great American Songbook Foundation. Five-time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein, founder of the Foundation and artistic director at the Center, will lead tributes to this year’s Songbook Hall of Fame inductees: Academy Award-winning composer Jimmy Van Heusen, singer-actress Rosemary Clooney, and cabaret and musical theater star Marilyn Maye.

About the evening

Under the theme “Swinging on a Star” – a tune written by Van Heusen and famously performed by Clooney – the Songbook Celebration begins with the 5 p.m. First Merchants Bank Cocktail Reception and continues with an elegant dinner in the concert hall, live auction, program, and after-party. Tables seating 4-10 guests for the entire evening are available for purchase at SongbookGala@TheCenterPresents.org.

About Chris Isaak

Over the course of three decades and 12 studio albums, Isaak has drawn comparisons to Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison with 1950s-influenced hits such as “Wicked Game,” “Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing” and “Somebody’s Crying.” His acting career has included roles in the David Lynch film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and the Showtime sitcom The Chris Isaak Show, a fictionalized look at his life as a professional musician.

Tickets and information

Starting at $100, the tickets include gallery or box seating for the 8:30 p.m. Songbook Hall of Fame induction ceremony, followed by Isaak’s headline performance, as well as admission to the all-inclusive after-party, with dancing and complimentary drinks and desserts in three uniquely themed rooms from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.