Ravinia 2023 Issue 3

THESESONGS AREABOUT THEM Expanding pop songs for lush or- chestral accompaniment won’t be the only track to new aural delights. To celebrate this triumvirate of astonish- ingly accomplished women, Sperling has chosen three impressive vocalists: Morgan James, Capathia Jenkins, and Andréa Burns. All have starred on Broadway, have extensive concert experience, and, of course, they share a deep admiration for the trailblazing composer-performers. “Because we have these three won- derful singers, we’re showcasing them in fun combinations,” Sperling notes. “They’re true artists who have their own interpretive thoughts. We’re do- ing some songs as trios, although they might’ve been solos originally. And you know, Joni and James [Taylor] sang backup for Carole, and Carole sang with James—so there’s a lot of fun backup vocals to be covered.” With one foot in the classical world and another in theater, interpretation is one of Sperling’s many talents—as proven by his Tony Award in 2005 for his orchestrations of The Light in the Piazza . (His first full-time job, a few months after graduating from Yale, was playing synthesizer in the orchestra for the groundbreaking 1984 Broadway premiere of Sunday in the Park with George .) Now 61, the Manhattan native learned how to play viola, violin, and piano in his youth, growing up in a household whose radio was tuned to classical music only. He started conducting lessons in 7th grade, and soon enough, he conducted both the glee club and the orchestra in high school. So when did he fall in love with the pop stylings of Joni, Carole, and Carly? “I was a kid at the right time,” he says. “I would’ve been a young teenager when they were at their ab- solute hottest moment in the ’70s.” He couldn’t absorb their songs at home, but carpools to school were another story: “I listened to pop music in the car, when I was with other kids and other drivers, on the way to school and back.” That’s how he discovered many big voices of that era, including The Carpenters, Cher, and Helen Reddy. Asked if he has a go-to favorite song or album by each of the three featured composers, Sperling has im- mediate answers. “ ‘You’re So Vain’— the title just grabs you, doesn’t it? You feel like Carly’s singing to you. Some- thing about that lyric immediately provoked me when I first heard it.” (It clearly still captures his imagination, considering that he lifted another of Simon’s lyrics for the concert title: “But you gave away the things you loved / And one of them was me / I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee.”) For the other two artists, Sperling cites Joni Mitchell’s Blue and Carole King’s Tapestry . (There’s a reason both albums were runaway hits!) The latter is especially present in Sperling’s life: “My husband and one of our daugh- ters are both learning to play their way through that album on piano,” he reveals. “Each week, they tackle a different tune. Basically, I get a little recital of Tapestry almost every day.” Parenting 12-year-old twin daugh- ters has certainly expanded Sperling’s appreciation and esteem for the concert’s honored trio. “These women were forging careers—not just as per- formers, but as writers as well. That’s really what we’re celebrating here: the songs they wrote,” he says. “They were not content to be housewives, or sec- ondary in any way. They were forging their own paths, and I think that’s reflected in these strong songs. “As a parent, I want to support my kids in feeling like anything’s possible for them. They don’t need to be bound by stereotypes or rigid expectations. These songs help me feel secure that my girls are also going to have endless opportunities to express themselves and be the full people they want to be.” Sperling also hopes the event can help further boost the way people think of their music—as timeless clas- sics that have exerted an enormous influence over successive generations of musicians. “I’m very excited to explore this genre of music with the symphony,” he says. “Everybody talks about The Great American Songbook, but it seems to end in the early ’60s. I feel like there’s a second generation, and I’m eager to explore that. I hope this will be the first in a series. “I’d like to add to my Mount Rush- more and celebrate some other great songwriters,” he continues. “I’d like to set myself a challenge to find the three men who would be the equivalent for me of Carole, Carly, and Joni.” Who might those guys be? Sperling allows that, while he’s got three names in mind, he needs to fully consider before committing to his choices in public. Still, given his attachment to the three women, it’s no surprise that he’s willing to name one particular troubadour—a man who dated Joni, married Carly, and often collaborated with Carole: “James Taylor would certainly be my go-to person.” RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 79