•

Broetdcast

$

„

••

.

UZANNE CHESSLER

pecia/ to the Jewish News

hen Tony Award-winning
singer Audra McDonald
appears in concert, it
often happens that Ted
Sperling takes on the conducting.
That's the way it was for her perfor-
mance last March in Ann Arbor, and
that's the way it will be Sunday, Aug.
6, at the Meadow Brook Music
Festival.
Fronting the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra for its final concert of the
summer season, the two will present
time-honored Broadway show tunes
along with works by some of New
York's younger composers.
"We're doing material from both
of her albums,
including several
Left: Ted Sperlin:
Harold Arlen songs
"I had a real love
and several Gershwin
for classical music
tunes, explains
growing up and
Sperling, 38, who,
then became
intereste ,_
like McDonald, is
making his debut
engagement with the
-
DSO.
"Auclra and I have associations
with a lot of composers our age, and
we like to champion their songs.
We also unearthed songs by
_famous composers from projects that
are not famous.
"Together, we're doing four pro-
grams like this We just did one in
San Francisco arid another in
Dayton, and after Detroit, well be at
ie Ravinia Festival in Chicago."
,Sperling, who has spent most of his
career conducting Broadway shows,
including Kiss of the Spider Woman and
Angels in America, met McDonald in
Toronto, where they were both work-
ing on the first reading of the musical
Ragtime. That show brought
McDonald one of her Tonys and had
Sperling as maestro of its world pre-
miere recording.
"Audra and I hit it off immediately,
SPERLING on page 71

•

•

Broadway conductor Ted Sperling
joins• singer Audra McDonald in their
debut performance with the DSO.