Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Boston Lyric Opera are thrilled to welcome Karen Slack in recital as part of the Opera Innovators Series.
Praised as “one of opera’s strongest voices at present–both as a singer and a shaper of its culture” (The Washington Post), GRAMMY® Award-winning soprano Karen Slack is celebrated as both an extraordinary performer and a change-maker in classical music.
Recently, Slack has been on a nationwide tour for her critically-acclaimed African Queens, which continues into her 25-26 season, including an orchestral version presented by the Naples Philharmonic in Naples, Florida. Slack’s season engagements include world premieres of Tamar-kali’s new work with the Miró Quartet for the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s presentation of Kathryn Bostic’s Drag, and Brittany J. Green’s Letters to America, part of American Composers Orchestra’s program Hello, America: Letters to Us, from Us. She also appears with the Orlando Philharmonic, Chamber Music Cincinnati, and Spivey Hall.
Slack’s Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price with pianist Michelle Cann in collaboration with ONE composer on Azica Records won the 2025 GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. In 2025, Slack was featured on Shawn Okpebholo’s album Songs in Flight, released with Cedille Records.
Slack has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Scottish Opera and many others. In concert, her credits include the Melbourne and Sydney symphonies, Bergen Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall, and Philadelphia Orchestra. She made her New York Philharmonic debut in May 2024.
A recipient of the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence and 2025 MPower Artist Grant, Slack is an Artistic Advisor for Portland Opera, serves on the board of the American Composers Orchestra, and holds a faculty position at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. In the 2024-2025 season, she served as Artist-in-Residence at both Lyric Opera of Chicago and Babson College.
A native Philadelphian, Slack is a graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, as well as the Adler Fellowship and the Merola Opera Program at the San Francisco Opera. Learn more atwww.karenslack.com.
Karen Slack is presented as part of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Opera Innovators Series in partnership with Boston Lyric Opera.
Boston Lyric Opera gratefully acknowledges David & Janet McCue for their generous support of Boston Lyric Opera in presenting the 2025/26 Opera Innovators Series.
This event is open to all members of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Boston Lyric Opera community.
