Oklahoma City Philharmonic salutes the Carpenters

“I remember buying my first Carpenters album and how the close-knit harmonies and the layering of those harmonies made their music so incredibly lush and beautiful,” Trones said. “You could really feel what they were singing about — the despair in ‘Rainy Days and Mondays' for example. It was music that grabbed you because they put their heart and soul into it.”

Clearly, a production that celebrates a musical era that dates back 40 years places a high priority on nostalgia, something that the music of the Carpenters readily evokes. Lush harmonies and poignant lyrics combined to create the duo's trademark sound.

“I think this show brings back memories of an easier, simpler time,” Burleigh-Bentz said. “In putting it together, Jim wanted to be sure it was a blend of the intellectual, the musical and the soulful. If we touch somebody's brain, heart and soul, we've succeeded.

“As performers, we often listen for that moment of silence that occurs between the end of a song and the applause. Audiences want to relish that final note and then you get this wonderful, heartfelt hurrah. You can tell they've really been touched. It's a lovely moment.”