Lyric Unlimited’s Artist-in-Residence Performs First Recital

Karen Slack-Photo by Kyle Flubacker
Karen Slack-Photo by Kyle Flubacker

Lyric Unlimited’s Artist-in-Residence Performs First Recital

By Tia Carol Jones

Karen Slack began her recital, “Of Thee I Sing,” with “My Country Tis of Thee,” while Kamilla Arku accompanied her on the piano. After an image of the American flag projected on the screen above her, there was an image of a police car with flashing blue lights and Slack moved into the spiritual “Up Above My Head (I Hear Music in the Air).”

Slack, Lyric Unlimited’s Artist-in-Residence performed her recital “Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice” in the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Grand Foyer at Lyric Opera of Chicago on Tuesday, November 12. “Of Thee I Sing” was the first of three recitals Slack will present as part of her residency. The recital was curated by Slack in the height of the pandemic and after the murder of George Floyd.

“Curated by Miss Slack with intention and care, this impactful program features songs exploring the themes of love and justice, as it is a reminder to us all that no matter your race, ethnicity, politics, etc., we all are human,” said Afton Battle, Vice President of Lyric Unlimited and Artistic Operations. “This is a musical journey of soaring melodies and beautiful text, rooted in the shared understanding that without love there can never be liberty and justice for all.”

The recital also featured Langston Hughes’ 1938 poem, The Kids Who Die, set by American composer Scott Gendel. After a rousing standing ovation and calls for Encore, Slack sang “I Don’t Feel Noways Tired” by James Cleveland to finish out the recital.

“I never know what the response will be to this program, but tonight was no different than past performances. The sighs, the sniffles, the speechless greetings from my beautiful audience with tears in their eyes is the norm. I find myself constantly fighting back the flood of emotions throughout the evening because my job is to tell the story and not be overcome by the emotion. With this power packed program of American songs, I do believe that my audiences leave the space changed. Understanding that everyone deserves justice and that LOVE IS THE FORCE necessary for the change we want to see,” Slack said in a statement.

The second recital, Dream Variations – Nina, Lena, and Tina, will take place on Feb. 26th at Northwestern University and a third, Beyond the Years, on June 14th. Slack will also present masterclasses at Northwestern and DePaul University, career talks at Merit School of Music and St. Philip Neri Catholic School, in the city’s South Shore community. Slack will debut a web series with Nicole Heaston and Ailyn Perez and Zoie Reams. Heaston is in the role of Claire in “The Listeners” and Perez is in the role of Mimi in “La Boheme” and Reams is in the role of the mother in “Blue.”

For more information about Karen Slack, visit sopranokarenslack.com. For more information about Lyric Opera of Chicago, visit lyicopera.org.


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