Miró Quartet & Karen Slack | Tamar-kali Commission

Approximately 15 minutes in length, this new work by acclaimed concert and film composer Tamar-kali (Mudbound) will feature soprano Karen Slack and the Miró Quartet, setting texts centered in the inspirational poetry of women of the Harlem Renaissance. Tamar-kali hopes to pay homage to the music and poetry of that time, bringing to the fore her own unique voice as a contemporary composer whose work is grounded across contemporary pop, classical and film music genres.

The work was commissioned for the Miró Quartet and Karen Slack by Arizona Friends of Chamber Music and a group of private donors on behalf of the for the Miró Quartet, and will be presented in its World Premiere performance in January 2026 during Arizona Friends of Chamber Music’s Winter Festival.

Samuel Barber: Quartet in B minor, Op. 11, I. Molto allegro e appassionato
Margaret Bonds: Creek-Freedman Songs
Florence Price: Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, III. Juba. Allegro
Tamar-kali: New Work*
Barber: Quartet in B minor, Op. 11, II. Molto adagio; III. Molto allegro
*****
George Walker: Lyric for Strings
William Grant Still: Songs of Separation (arr. Largess)
Stephen Taylor: Four Spirituals for Soprano and String Quartet