Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price Recital
Karen Slack stands at the forefront of classical music, bringing powerful narratives to the concert stage through her artistry, advocacy, and collaborations. Fresh off her Grammy win for Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price, Slack continues to shape the future of vocal music with projects that illuminate overlooked histories and celebrate resilience, identity, and artistic expression.
Her award-winning album with pianist Michelle Cann has unearthed a treasure trove of Florence Price’s unpublished songs, amplifying the voice of a pioneering composer. In November 2026, the duo will take this repertoire on tour, pairing Price’s works with pieces by Ravel and Schubert in a recital program that bridges past and present. This tour represents Slack’s commitment to honoring Black composers while championing the timeless beauty of classical song.
Miró Quartet & Karen Slack | Tamar-kali Commission
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.
Photo credit: Matt Murphy
Pacifica Quartet & Karen Slack | James Lee III: A Double Standard
The Pacifica Quartet and soprano Karen Slack are offering a new song cycle by James Lee III commissioned by Carnegie Hall, Chamber Music Detroit, and the Shriver Hall Concert Series. “A Double Standard” is based on the poem of the same name by the prolific Baltimore poet Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, who was a free black woman from Baltimore in the 19th century.
Karen Slack | Of Thee I Sing!
Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice is a critically acclaimed recital created by Karen Slack in the late Summer of 2020 during the height of the pandemic and just after the murder of George Floyd. The center of this moving program is the raw and powerful yet hopeful Langston Hughes poem, The Kids Who Die (1938), and a commissioned setting of that riveting text by American composer Scott Gendel.
Karen Slack | Gladys Bentley Project
Karen is a skilled storyteller, a champion for new work, and a thoughtful producer, and she is developing a project to honor the life of the iconic Harlem Renaissance performer Gladys Bentley, putting Black Queer voices front and center while exploring themes of Black love, identity, and artistry through the lens of the Harlem Renaissance.
Karen Slack | African Queens
This special commissioning project produced by and featuring soprano Karen Slack takes the form of a full evening vocal recital of art song on the theme of African Queens to celebrate the history and legacy of seven fierce African Queens who were revered as rulers and warriors, though not widely heralded in the West.