Conductor Ted Sperling Shares the Joys of Musical Story Telling

The master is truly at work.

“Sins and Grace” a choral concert that included the world premiere of “Seven: A Cycle of Sins” was presented at Alice Tully Hall on March 23 and 24. There were scores of performers onstage and behind the scenes a roster of master musicians that included three Tony Award winners (counting Sperling), two Pulitzer Prize winners, a MacArthur “genius award” grantee, a Grammy winner and a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

Sounds unbelievable? It is. It’s also all in an evening’s work for Ted Sperling, the artistic director of MasterVoices.

Since 2013, Sperling has been continuing the work started by MasterVoices more than 80 years ago–to be a kind of musical melting pot for the city. Professional and amateur singers gather in great numbers and bring to life new, beloved, and sometimes long forgotten choral masterpieces. The Upper West Sider shared his insights (and enthusiasm) with us.

Tell us a bit about your journey and how you came to direct MasterVoices.

I was introduced to the joys of choral singing in 7th grade, first at a summer music camp in Maine, and then as a member of my junior high school glee club. I entered college thinking that classical music would be my path, but then I became interested in Broadway musicals, and decided to make that my focus. Around twenty years later, I was introduced to MasterVoices (then called the Collegiate Chorale) through the wonderful (and sorely missed) actor and director Roger Rees, who was directing an obscure Kurt Weill musical for the group. After two more projects as a guest, I was asked to join full time. I still perform on Broadway and conduct orchestras across the country, but with my work with MasterVoices I’ve returned to my early love.

“Sins and Grace” included the world premiere of MasterVoices’ newly commissioned “Seven: A Cycle of Sins.” Can you talk about the evolution of the idea and what its creation entailed?

I wanted to program the Fauré Requiem, a beloved classic, and was looking for something to pair it with, to make for a full concert program. We have a long tradition of commissioning work at MasterVoices, and matching the seven Fauré movements with seven different composers choosing seven different sins felt like a way to offer more opportunities while expanding the diversity/texture of the audience experience.

How many choristers were on stage for “Sins and Grace?”

Our group has around 150 members on the roster. Not everyone sings every concert, but most include around 130 singers on stage. Add in orchestra and soloists, and we can sometimes have 200+ people performing!

Let’s discuss the diverse range of singers–from stars of prestigious stages to amateurs, from students to seniors, and from all over the world - and why you feature such a large group of vocal musicians?

The Collegiate Chorale was founded in 1941 by conductor Robert Shaw as “democracy in song.” We were one of the first interfaith and interracial groups in the country. It feels like part of the group’s DNA to be inclusive and to present concerts on a grand scale, so I am happy to continue that tradition - our group now ranges in age from 16 to 80! We’re also continuing a long history of working with some of the world’s most extraordinary solo artists and orchestral musicians.

Almost unbelievably, MasterVoices invites anyone with the ability to read music, sing on pitch and have accurate rhythm to submit an audition video and possibly join the chorus. Can you tell readers more about that?

The pandemic made self-tape auditions a common practice, and it helped us cast a wider net as well. Our rehearsals are fast-paced and intense, and we don’t want singers feeling left behind, so we do our best to assess our candidates’ ability to learn and sing complicated music. We rehearse once a week on Monday nights and chorus members practice a lot on their own; still, we often feel like we’re just getting the music under our belts the week of the performances!

Is there a moment in your journey that has made it all worth it?

It’s all worth it! I love almost every moment, including teaching the music in rehearsal. But of course, the thrill of the performance is magical. Many members of the chorus tell me after a concert that they had only an inkling of what the complete performance would be like. That moment they look at me and say “I can’t believe we pulled this off again” is the greatest. Of course, I couldn’t do it without the help of my associate conductor, Julie Morgan.

What’s the greatest moment for you in a performance, and what do you hope is the highlight for the audience?

Our tagline is “the art of musical storytelling,” from my background in theater. I want to engage audiences’ minds, not just their ears. We perform primarily in English and strive to make every word understood. We also aim to surprise our audiences with what a choral event can be.... We’ve collaborated with dancers, designers, visual artists, directors, choreographers, to build something that we hope excites all your nerve endings!

After the bows, when the audience has left, what do you hope stays with them, and what do you hope stays with the musicians?

I try to program works that reflect the world we’re living in right now, even if the piece may have been written decades or centuries earlier. It’s through coming together to experience a work of art that I hope we can see our shared goals and dreams, and recognize our individual flaws and frustrations.

Finally, what’s next?

That’s the $10,000 question! Scheduling the next season is always a challenge... picking the pieces that hang together, finding the sweet spot between the stars’ schedules and the venue availability, seeing what other people are programming so as not to duplicate. We have an intimate concert in at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on the UWS coming on May 19th, a day after I conduct a one-night all-star performance of “Man of La Mancha” at Lincoln Center Theater. Later this summer I have a great season of outdoor concerts with some of the country’s top symphony orchestras. Lots to look forward to!

Photos

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Ted Sperling conducts the chorus at the premier of “Sins and Grace.” Photo credit: Erin Baiano

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Music director and conductor Ted Sperling. Photo credit: Erin Baiano