The Power of "Female": Emmy-Winning Composer, Misha Segal, Launches Musical Tour of Hospitals and Health Organizations to Benefit Cancer Patients

Inspired by his mother's fight with cancer and the strength she drew from his music, award-winning composer, Misha Segal, begins musical tour of cancer organizations as a reminder to patients that beauty and hope can be found in the most unlikely places.

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The Power of "Female"   

Contact: Patti Caron
818.992-4222, pcaron@mishasegal.com

Emmy-Winning Composer, Misha Segal, Launches Musical Tour of Hospitals and Health Organizations to Benefit Cancer Patients

Los Angeles, California -- With one Emmy award and another nomination, over 80 movies scored including Phantom of the Opera, two jazz albums on the charts, a huge body of work in Israel including with the Israeli Philharmonic, a discography that features giants like Chick Corea, Freddy Hubbard, Smokey Robinson, Luther Vandross, Nancy Wilson, Randy Crawford, and others, Misha Segal (www.mishasegal.com), has been playing, arranging, orchestrating and producing to an audience of moviegoers and jazz enthusiasts for many years, all over the world.

Now, the Los Angeles based artist will be playing to a unique audience, cancer patients.

For Misha, this is the beginning of a dear and poignant mission. His mother, Elisabeth Buchhalter Segal, died of lung cancer on Mothers Day, 2001. She fought for 6 years, longer than she ever should have, by medical accounts. One thing that kept her inspired for so long was Mishas music, specifically a collection of romantic piano melodies called Female.

When Elisabeth passed away, Female took on a deeper meaning for the pianist-composer. The music became the embodiment of his mother, and all she had loved, fought, and strived for her entire life. Because of this, Female remained solely a very personal thing for quite some time, like a prized secret between best friends. However, Misha realized not only is he now emotionally prepared to share this music with others on a wide basis, he must.

It is with this motivation Misha has begun performing the music of Female. Due to his personal connection with the disease, he has placed cancer-fighting organizations at the top of his list of those he approaches as an audience for Female. The same way his mother drew on the music as inspiration, Misha is determined to provide, not just a respite from the pain, but a well of strength for all who are fighting the biggest battle of their lives.

Mishas first stop is on October 31st at a local Comprehensive Cancer Center. (To protect patient privacy, the name of the center will not be disclosed to the public.) Keyboard Concepts of Van Nuys will be donating the piano. Misha plans to tour all Southern California area cancer centers and other health organizations, then branch out across the nation, and eventually come into contact with every person who needs to be reminded beauty and hope can be found in the most unlikely places.

There is always a reason for everything. And even if for the moment it seems senseless, the future reveals that something good will come of it." -- Elisabeth Buchhalter Segal, October 31, 1920 - May 13, 2001