Ted Sperling

Ted Sperling is a conductor and music director known for his work in musical theater and for orchestral pops programs built around popular songwriters. In our directory he leads the Phoenix Symphony in a program devoted to the music of Paul Simon, and the Pacific Symphony in a show centered on Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon. Listeners can expect arrangements that translate well-loved songs into orchestral color while keeping their original character intact.

These programs are built around the catalogs of major singer-songwriters rather than classical repertoire, so expect an evening shaped like a song cycle rather than a symphony. The Paul Simon program draws on decades of hits, likely moving between folk-inflected ballads and rhythmically layered, world-music-tinged songs, arranged for orchestra to bring out string textures and horn colors under the melodies. The Pacific Symphony program pairs three songwriters, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon, whose songs share intimate, confessional lyrics; expect the orchestra used to underline mood and space around the vocal lines rather than overwhelm them. A conductor working in this genre typically paces the evening like a concert of hits, balancing tempo and volume between numbers so the orchestra supports the singers without covering the words.