Karen Slack News

On Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 5:30pm, Shriver Hall Concert Series (SHCS) - Baltimore's premier presenter of chamber music ensembles and solo recitalists - will present the two-time Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet and soprano Karen Slack in the Baltimore premiere of A Double Standard, a new SHCS co-commission by Baltimore-based composer James Lee III.

Both before and throughout the pandemic, National Sawdust’s mission has been to provide artists with financial and creative opportunities, audiences with access to groundbreaking work presented in remarkably high fidelity, and to support young creators by means of a rigorous mentorship network. These three goals serve as the inspirations for The Future Is… Festival, which takes place June 7 through June 16, features work by 6 composers and choreographers developing new work through residencies co-produced with the Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, and funded by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

American Lyric Theater (ALT) announced today InsightALT: Opera in Eden, a performance featuring three new one-act operas on themes of temptation developed by Resident Artists in the company’s nationally acclaimed Composer Librettist Development Program. ALT’s current Resident Artists (Composers Jasmine Barnes, Johanny Navarro, and Alex Weiser; and Librettists Joshua Banbury, Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, and Marcus Yi) were selected from over 200 applicants to join the CLDP this season. Opera in Eden, which is the culminating event of the first year of these artists’ residency, will take place at National Sawdust in Brooklyn on Tuesday, May 17th, 2022 at 7:00pm.

Programming for The Dallas Opera’s 2022/2023 Season was announced today by Ian Derrer, The Dallas Opera’s Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO, and Emmanuel Villaume, the Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director, in celebration of the company’s 65th Anniversary.

The Juilliard Blueprint Fellowship is an annual National Sawdust mentorship and commissioning initiative that connects Juilliard student composers with career and project mentorship, culminating in a concert of their commissioned projects.

Following a two-year pandemic-imposed hiatus, National Sawdust has announced the January reopening of its in-person performance space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for the organization’s seventh season of artistic programming.

American Composers Orchestra continues its 2021-2022 season, under the leadership of Artistic Director Derek Bermel and President Melissa Ngan, with new and ongoing partnerships with the Apollo, National Black Theatre, and Carnegie Hall in spring 2022.

The Apollo announced today details of its Winter/Spring 2022 season, with an array of free and ticketed programming in-person at the Apollo's historic theater and online on the Apollo's Digital Stage.

Named for the groundbreaking African American contralto, the Marian Anderson Vocal Award recognizes a young American singer in opera, oratorio, or recital repertoire with outstanding promise for a significant career. Earlier this year, Washington National Opera (WNO) named tenor Frederick Ballentine as the 2021 recipient and will present him in concert on Tuesday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.

Fort Worth Opera announced today the starry line-up of internationally renowned artists headlining the company’s second annual celebration of Black History Month, A Night of Black Excellence: Say It Loud - Songs of a Revolution. 

Resonance Works’ ninth season combines virtual and in-person performances in line with the organization’s mission to enrich the Pittsburgh community through innovative musical experiences that engage audiences and empower artists. 

In “Iphigenia,” two of the most visionary and daring musical voices of our time – composer Wayne Shorter, and librettist and performer esperanza spalding, have created a modern operatic re-imagining of a powerful ancient story. 

TWC will present or collaborate on three world premieres in the 2021-2022 season; Adolphus Hailstork's “A Knee on the Neck, a Requiem cantata for George Floyd,” written in response to the death of George Floyd, Damien Geter's “Symphony no. 1: The Justice Symphony” commemorating anthems from the Civil Rights era, and Roshanne Etezady's “Become The Sky” with texts by the 13th-Century Persian poet Rumi in a prologue for chorus, orchestral brass, and percussion.

The Sphinx Organization has announced the three recipients of the 2022 Sphinx Medals of Excellence: pianist Michelle Cann, violinist Randall Goosby, and soprano Karen Slack.

On Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 5:30pm, the Miró Quartet returns to Baltimore for the world premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, Microfictions [Vol. 1], co-commissioned by SHCS, along with Mozart's buoyant 'Hunt' Quartet in B-flat Major and Beethoven's tumultuous and radiant String Quartet in A minor Op. 132.

Portland Opera has announced that Priti Gandhi has joined the company as artistic director. Ms. Gandhi will work with Sue Dixon, and artistic advisors Karen Slack and Damien Geter, to guide the company as an artistic and strategic leader.

After fourteen years of producing a nationally recognized Festival in the springtime, the organization will return to a year-round format, as it looks to expand its presence and visibility in the growing North Texas arts scene.

OPERA America has announced the selection of Douglas Kearney as  the inaugural recipient of the Campbell Opera Librettist Prize. Kearney will receive a $7,000 award  to support his creative and career development. Conceived and funded by acclaimed librettist and  lyricist Mark Campbell, the Prize is the first award in American opera that specifically recognizes the work of  the opera librettist. 

The title and content of this filmed opera reminded me of a friend with a young biracial relative. Whenever he ventures out, whether by foot or car, his mother provides him with a letter explaining who he is and asserting that his purpose is benevolent in case the police may approach him.

OPERA America will host the fifth annual Backstage Brunch, a virtual salon  and fundraiser in support of its Mentorship Program for Women Administrators, on Saturday, April 17,  12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. EDT.