Over the course of her illustrious career, the seven-time Grammy-Award winning international superstar, Gloria Estefan, has recorded many classics from the American Songbook and collaborated with musical icons such as Frank Sinatra, BB King, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and most recently, with the legendary Tony Bennett. It's been a lifelong dream of Gloria's to record an entire album of standards - songs that have a very special meaning in her life. "I personally chose some of the most beloved songs of all time, songs that spoke to me personally," says Gloria. "We recorded the album live in the studio with a core group of four incredibly talented musicians, all maestros of this genre and a wonderful orchestra. Something really special happens when musicians record together live - it was magical and this PBS special will actually be the first time that I'm performing these songs live in concert." On her new album, simply titled Gloria Estefan The Standards, she recorded songs that were written by some of the most prolific songwriters like Jerome Kern, Chaplin and Gershwin. Featured on the album are Grammy-Award winning Laura Pausini, Joshua Bell and saxophone great, Dave Koz, who will also perform on the PBS concert special. Estefan said: "This Standards album and concert special bring everything full circle for me. It has been a labor of love in so many ways and has allowed me to record and perform these classic songs - in a new and modern way." Gloria will perform The Standards with the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, led and conducted by Grammy-Award nominee, Shelly Berg, at the renowned New World Center. Gloria personally selected some of her all-time favorite songs, from the Billie Holiday classic "Good Morning Heartache" and her adaptation of Chaplin's "Smile," to the first song she sang with Emilio and the Miami Latin Boys, "What a Difference a Day Makes," and her wedding song, "El Dia Que Me Quieras," which for the first time was translated into English as "The Day You Say You Love Me." Gloria's signature and distinctively sultry contralto voice perfectly embraces some of the most recognizable and beloved tunes from musical eras in this unforgettable intimate performance.
