EarRelevant Staff | 6 MAY 2025
ATLANTA, Georgia— Grammy Award-winning soprano Karen Slack will serve as the 2025 Artist-in-Residence for the Atlanta Music Project’s Summer Series, the nonprofit educational organization announced Friday.
Slack, praised by The New York Times for her “sizeable voice that captured all of the vacillating emotions,” won the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price. Her residency will include masterclasses, a public interview and performance, and a featured appearance in the Summer Series’ opening concert.
The residency begins on June 4 with a private masterclass for the AMP Senior Youth Choir and a mentorship session for students on June 5. That evening, Slack will participate in a public fireside performance and interview with broadcaster Terrance McKnight, known for his work on New York’s WQXR and the podcast Every Voice with Terrance McKnight. The event will be held at the Atlanta Music Project Center for Performance & Education in southwest Atlanta.
On June 6, Slack is scheduled to perform at the Summer Series’ Opening Night concert at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church. The performance will feature operatic arias and a world premiere of unpublished songs by Florence Price for soprano and orchestra. She will appear alongside the AMP Summer Series Festival Choir and Orchestra, led by conductors Dr. Kay Pace and John Young Shik Concklin.
A final masterclass with AMP voice students is set for June 7.
“We are honored to welcome Karen Slack as Artist-in-Residence,” said Dantes Rameau, co-founder and CEO of the Atlanta Music Project. “Her incredibly generous spirit will inspire our young musicians, and her world-class artistry will enchant our audience members and community.”
Slack was drawn to the mission of AMP and views the residency as an opportunity to give back. “My teachers and mentors were so important to my development as an artist,” she said in a statement. “I am excited to work with their students and faculty this summer to make wonderful music together.”
Slack’s operatic and orchestral credits include performances with the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Scottish Opera, Melbourne Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She made her New York Philharmonic debut in May 2024.
An advocate for living composers and underrepresented voices, Slack is also the creator of African Queens, a new touring recital featuring works by Jasmine Barnes, Damien Geter, Jessie Montgomery, Shawn Okpebholo, Dave Ragland, Carlos Simon, and Joel Thompson. The project debuted at the Ravinia Festival and will tour institutions, including Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival, 92NY, and others.
Slack received the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence and the 2025 MPower Artist Grant. She currently serves as Artistic Advisor to Portland Opera, sits on the boards of the American Composers Orchestra and Astral Artists, and is a faculty member at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. She also holds 2024–25 residencies at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Babson College. Born in Philadelphia, Slack is a Curtis Institute of Music graduate and an alumna of the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program and Adler Fellowship.
The Atlanta Music Project Summer Series, now in its 10th year, is a four-week music festival and school serving novice to advanced musicians in grades 4 through 12. The program includes ensembles such as symphony orchestra, string orchestra, wind ensemble, choir, and chamber groups, with public performances by students, faculty, and guest artists.
Further information about AMP’s Summer Series, including ticket availability, registration requirements, and public access to events are available at atlantamusicproject.org ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Karen Slack: sopranokarenslack.com
- Atlanta Music Project: atlantamusicproject.org
Read more by EarRelevant Staff.
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