Ravinia 2023 Issue 2

MINISTERING MUSIC FOR THE SOUL By James Turano THE PHONE RINGS at precisely the appointed time, andHeather Headley’s voice is welcoming and warm, quickly breaking the ice with first-name familiarity before there’s even a chance to return the “Hello.” The lively, expansive conversation with Ravinia Magazine goes 15 minutes past the agreed time, all the while continuing with an audible smile. ¶ It’s hardly a “diva moment,” even though that’s how she jokingly refers to herself. Yet if one uses “diva” in its original and laudatory definition—“a glamorous woman who is pre-eminent in her field”—then Headley is a diva of the highest degree. After all, she won a Tony Award for her show- stealing outing in the title role of Broadway’s Aida in 2000, then added a Grammy Award to her trophy case in 2010 for her gospel album Audience of One . She’s also appeared on many of the world’s praised stages, not only across Broadway and London’s West End, but also including New York’s Carnegie Hall and Ravinia Festival last summer, as one of the featured singers on a concert honoring the legacy of the late Stephen Sondheim. Heather Headley does diva her way RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JULY 3 – JULY 16, 2023 6