Clouds in My Coffee: Music of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon

Few artists have shaped the singer-songwriter era like Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon. Their songs defined a generation, capturing love, independence, and self-discovery with honesty and brilliance. An evening of timeless music with the Spokane Symphony featuring hits like “Both Sides Now,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” “You’re So Vain,” and more. Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon do not perform live in this concert. Ted Sperling, conductor Morgan James, vocalist Bryonha Marie, vocalist Alysha Umphress, vocalist SATURDAY DOORS 6:30PM | SHOW 7:30PM SATURDAY TICKETS BUY POPS SUBSCRIPTION Student Ticket Deals $25 Youth Tickets Bring the whole family! This show has $25 youth tickets available at checkout. Pops College Card Get this show and all 4 other Pops shows for only $60 with the Pops College Card. Ted Sperling TED SPERLING is a New York City-based director and conductor, with a forty-year career in music and theater. He is a Tony Award winner for his work on the groundbreaking Broadway musical, The Light in the Piazza, and is celebrating ten years as Artistic Director of MasterVoices. Maestro Sperling’s Broadway and off-Broadway credits include recent productions of the classics My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, The King and I, Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed… and South Pacific, as well as the new musicals Titanic, Ragtime, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, Floyd Collins and A New Brain. As director, Mr. Sperling has led four off-Broadway productions, including See What I Wanna See at the Public Theater, starring Idina Menzel. With MasterVoices, he has brought to the NYC stage such rarities as Lady in the Dark, Anyone Can Whistle and Let ‘em Eat Cake. Maestro Sperling’s symphonic and opera career include Carmen and Orfeo with MasterVoices, as well as performances with the Houston Grand Opera, The New York City Opera, The New York Philharmonic (including directing and conducting Show Boat for PBS), Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and San Diego Symphony. He was principal conductor of the Westchester Philharmonic for six seasons. His program about Carole King, Beyond Beautiful, can be streamed on the PBS AllArts platform. Mr. Sperling can be seen as talk show host Steve Allen in Season Two of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. For more information, visit tedsperling.net Morgan James Morgan James has a voice that needs to be heard; even when she was just a fifth grader belting out standards on a karaoke machine. After her grandmother heard her sing, the matriarch footed the bill for James’ voice lessons, positive that her granddaughter had the mysterious “it factor”. And, despite the sometimes treacherous terrain of the music industry, James has never tired in her quest. Whether it’s tussling with label executives, covering and owning songs by the likes of the Beatles or Prince, or creating her own brand of original soul music, James has carved out an enviable and diverse career, always on her own terms. James has a particular taste for inserting herself into men’s spaces, twisting hyper-masculine songs to her will and changing their meanings in the process. That feminist lens is brought to the forefront in her most recent project, Soul Remains the Same, which reinterprets heavy tracks from the likes of AC/DC, the Stone Temple Pilots, and Pearl Jam. “Something I’ve always loved, and I’ve done throughout my career, is sing songs that are not just written by men, but especially made for men,” she says. “And make them my own.” Soul Remains the Same, her sixth studio album, transforms the testosterone-soaked ‘80s and ‘90s radio classics of her youth into poignant, soulful, and deeply personal covers. As if Aretha Franklin went into the studio with AC/DC; it’s heavy rock songs through a feminine, soul lens. James’ journey from karaoke kid to prolific singer-songwriter didn’t follow an easy path. Raised on both musical theater and Laurel Canyon bards, she applied to The Juilliard School at 18, and was waitlisted before finally getting in. After studying opera and getting her BM in voice, James set her sights on Broadway, landing a part in The Addams Family on Broadway in 2010 with Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. While treading the boards—eventually performing in five original Broadway companies— James started performing solo at New York City venues and developing her own sound. While appearing in “Motown: The Musical” in 2013, the legendary producer Berry Gordy Jr. became her mentor. “I was a star in his eyes,” James says. “Mr. Gordy is the one that encouraged me to write music, to go deeper to find my sound, and to stay true to my sound, no matter what anybody else thought or anybody else said.” Gordy then facilitated a record deal with Epic Records, where she released her first two albums: Morgan James Live: A Celebration of Nina Simone, and Hunter. Prior to the release of Soul Remains The Same, and since becoming an independent artist in 2017, James has released both her original music Reckless Abandon, Memphis Magnetic, A Very Magnetic Christmas, Nobody’s Fool, and cover albums, The Beatles White album, Joni Mitchell’s Blue, independently, and predominantly fan-funded. James has amassed a legion of fans via her YouTube channel and various collaborations, resulting in over 300 million views online. She has also garnered her share of praise for her original work, with the Wall Street Journal calling her “the most promising young vocalist to come along so far this century”, and the The New York Times called her a “phenomenal talent whose feel for classic soul music is bone deep… This woman is on fire.” “I’ve known, from day one of my journey, that I would have to fight every step of the way,” James says now, ahead of the release of Soul Remains the Same. “But that is the part of my story— it’s not something I want to erase. It’s something I celebrate.” Over the last several years, James has built her own empire and established herself as a touring powerhouse, allowing her to raise the funds to create her albums and make every decision from the ground up. Whether she’s in front of a full symphony orchestra, or a big band singing the music of Nina Simone, or in a theatre or club singing her own music with her band, Morgan is a electrifying touring artist that is meant to be experienced live and in-person. “I feel like I am a part of the lineage of soul music. This music is me: classic elements, timeless melodies, and lyrics from my soul and experience. We need that right now. We need real music now, more than ever.” Bryonha Marie Bryonha Marie has rapidly established herself as one of the brightest young stars currently on Broadway and in the arena of classical crossover. Best known for her tour de force Broadway performance in Prince of Broadway, a career retrospective of the work of the late Harold Prince (directed by Prince and Susan Stroman), Bryonha has also thrilled Broadway audiences in The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess (Serena), After Midnight (featured and principal cover for Patti LaBelle, Toni Braxton, KD Lang and Fantasia), the revival of Ragtime (Sarah’s Friend), and The Book of Mormon. Bryonha most recently appeared in 2020 pre-pandemic in Chicago with Kansas City Symphony (Mama Morton); and the 92nd Street Y’s “Lyrics & Lyricists, Jerry Herman: You I Like.” Prior to that, Bryonha made her Encores Off-Center debut at New York City Center in the rarely produced Promenade as Servant. In classical crossover in 2018, she was honored to make her Carnegie Hall principal debut as Paquette in Candide; and her guest artist debut with the San Diego Symphony. She’s had the honor of being double-cast with Audra McDonald as the Beggar Woman in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd for the New York Philharmonic, having also appeared in Lincoln Center’s Showboat and Ragtime. With the Philadelphia Orchestra, Bryonha was principal soloist in Bernstein’s Mass under the baton of Metropolitan Opera Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, for a performance that was released commercially on Deutsche Grammophon. Her performance of the piece ultimately resulted in an invitation to the Ravinia Festival. Additional career highlights include the First National tour of Falsettos (under the direction of James Lapine), the world premiere of Dave (Arena Stage, Tina Landau, director), Prince of Broadway (Tokyo, Japan), The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess (American Repertory Theatre, Diane Paulus, director), Ragtime (Kennedy Center), Civil War (NETworks), and her renowned interpretation of Effie White in Dreamgirls for North Shore Music Theatre. Bryonha has had several regional principal debuts with BTG, Muny, Sacramento Music Circus, Pasadena Playhouse, Fulton Theatre, and MSMT. Most recently for television, she appeared as The Mayor in “Spongebob Squarepants The Musical Live” for Nickelodeon (directed by Tina Landau). Ms. Parham has also been featured on CBS’ “Madame Secretary,” PBS’ “Live from Lincoln Center” (Emmy® Nominated), the 66th and 68th Annual Tony Awards®, and NBC’s “The Today Show.” Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, Bryonha is a graduate of the Music Theatre Department at Illinois Wesleyan University and a proud member of Actors Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild. She currently resides in Manhattan with her husband, David Goldsmith. Alysha Umphress Alysha Umphress has been seen on Broadway in On the Town (as Hildy), American Idiot, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Bring it On!. Her other recent credits include: the Off-Broadway revival of Smokey Joe’s Cafe, for which she received a Lucille Lortel Nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and whose cast won the Chita Rivera Award for Best Ensemble of a Musical; On the Town (again as Hildy) with the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas; and Wonderful Town (as Ruth Sherwood) with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, which was recorded on the LSO label and available on iTunes. Program Program details to come. Please check back. Ticket Information: Phone: 509-624-1200 Box Office: The Fox Theater, 1001 West Sprague Avenue SATURDAY TICKETS BUY POPS SUBSCRIPTION Bag Policy All bags (with the exception of clutches 6 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches) are subject to visual inspection by venue security. Large bags are not allowed in The Fox, and must be checked in our Coat Check (located in the North Gallery) for the duration of the event. 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