III

SPERLING

from page 69

and the writers were so excited
by her talent that they wrote a
big song, 'Your Daddy's Son,'
for her, and she'll be singing
that in the Meadow Brook con-
cert," Sperling says.
"In the last two years, I've
also been doing her smaller-
scale performances. We opened
a new space in New York, called
Joe's Pub, an exciting room that
hosts many different kinds of
performances. That happened
to coincide with the release of
her first album, and we had a
lot of the young composers join
us on stage to sing with us and
play piano.
"We've evolved that style
and did a week at the Donmar
Warehouse in London, and
we'll be continuing our tour [to
larger venues] in October."
Sperling traces his love for
music to his family's love for
music. His grandmother was a
professional singer in Vienna and Audra McDonald: 'Audra and I have associa-
then a voice teacher in New York. tions with a lot of composers our age, and we
Her husband, who worked as a
like to champion their songs," says Sperling.
doctor, also was an enthusiastic
"Titanic just fell in my lap, and it
violinist.
was
great," Sperling says. "I spent a
"My grandfather died a couple of
year
in the cast and played violin and
years before I was born, and somehow
piano on stage. One of the reasons I
I figured out as a young child that I
did Titanic was to experience being
was supposed to take his place in the
directed and to know what it's like to
musical life of the family," Sperling
be an actor. When I'm in the position
recalls. "I inherited his violins and
of directing an actor, I'll have some
started studying at age 5. I started
experience to pull from."
piano a year later. I had a real love for
All. that will come together in
classical music growing up and then
Philadelphia,
where he will be working
became interested in shows.
on
two
pieces.
A new musical called
"I played in the pit orchestra in
Charlotte will make its debut in March,
high school in the Bronx and also
and a revival of the Kurt Weill-Ira
conducted the glee club and orchestra.
Gershwin-Moss Hart musical Lady in
I went on to Yale for college and got
the Dark will be staged next September.
more interested in shows there.
Before that, Sperling will be music
"My grandmother sang in syna-
director
of The Full Mon, which
gogues after she arrived in this country,
opens
on
Broadway in September as
and I also made money singing in syn-
an
adaptation
of the film.
agogues when I moved to New York
"The reason I'm interested in
after college. That didn't last too long
directing and the reason I'm in the
because I quickly got a wonderful job
theater more than the classical music
playing in the pit and rehearsals for the
field is that I love collaboration," says
Stephen Sondheim musical Sundays in
the single Sperling. "I love feeling that
the Park With George."
everyone's working together." El
Sperling went on to become music
director for many productions, includ-
ing Floyd Collins, Saturn Returns, A
New Brain, How to Succeed in Business
The final concert of the
Without Really Trying, My Favorite Year
Detroit Symphony Orchestra at
and Romance in Hard Times.
Meadow Brook Music Festival
Looking for new experiences, he
season, which features Audra
made his professional acting debut as
McDonald and Ted Sperling,
bandleader Wallace Hartley in the
begins 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug.
original Broadway cast of Titanic and
6. $13-$53. (313) 576-5111.
has decided to set aside his baton for a
time to do some dramatic directing.

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