Ted Sperling, conductor
Morgan James, vocalist
Bryonha Marie, vocalist
Micaela Diamond, vocalist
Few singer-songwriters have enjoyed the success and influence of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon. Fifty years ago, these talented musicians channeled the changing role of women into pop music classics that have endured across generations. Join us as we celebrate these incredible artists and their indelible catalog of music in exciting new arrangements for symphony orchestra. Ted Sperling brings his unique touch to curating the program including “Both Sides Now,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” “You’re So Vain,” and many other favorites.
About Ted Sperling, guest conductor
TED SPERLING has been Artistic Director of MasterVoices for ten years and has led performances of over 40 programs with the group. Highlights include Kurt Weill’s Lady in the Dark, Stephen Sondheim’s The Frogs, and a new English translation of Bach’s St. John Passion. A Tony Award winner for The Light in the Piazza, Maestro Sperling has been the music director or director for 11 Broadway and 10 off-Broadway shows. He has conducted major symphony orchestras around the world, and been nominated for the Grammy Award five times.
About Micaela Diamond, vocalist
Micaela Diamond is a Tony- and Grammy Award-nominated actor known for her star turn as Lucille Frank in Parade on Broadway. Most recently, she played Fritz in Stephen Sondheim’s final musical, Here We Are. Diamond made her Broadway debut as Babe – the youngest Cher – in The Cher Show. She has also appeared in The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, Leonard Bernstein’s opera Mass at the Kennedy Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Row, and Ethan Coen’s A Play Is A Poem in Los Angeles. In TV and film, her credits include NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” Netflix and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “tick, tick… BOOM!,” HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” and “Up Here” on Hulu. Diamond grew up in New York City and is a graduate of LaGuardia Arts High School in New York.
About Morgan James, vocalist
Let’s start with the voice, an instrument through which she can communicate anything. A gift bestowed upon her that she has expertly trained, meticulously nurtured, and passionately galvanized into action by an urgency to make real music. Next, the stories, and she has them in spades. They are full of truth and beauty, heartache and thoughtfulness. They reveal colors we weren’t expecting to see. They make us close our eyes and relate. And finally, the soul – the emotional and intellectual energy through which these parts are fueled. That special something that prompted The Wall Street Journal to herald her as “the most promising young vocalist to come along so far this century.”
That young vocalist is Morgan James. And Morgan James is a soul singer. One voice is all it takes. The right vocalist can make you fall in love at first listen, elicit tears, or bring you back to a different era altogether. A microphone and a stage remain the only necessities. That holds true for New York-based soul singer, songwriter, and Broadway actress Morgan James.
About Bryonha Marie, vocalist
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.