Praised for her “sizeable voice that captured all of the vacillating emotions” (The New York Times), Karen Slack is "not only one of the nation's most celebrated sopranos, but a leading voice in changing and making spaces in classical music" (Trilloquy). A recipient of the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, Slack is a sought-after collaborator, curator and artistic advisor known for her fiery charisma and groundbreaking approach to engagement. Her debut album, Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price on Azica Records,
won the 2025 GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.
Highlighting Slack’s 2024-2025 season is the nationwide tour of her new commissioning project, African Queens, a recital of new art songs by Jasmine Barnes, Damien Geter, Jessie Montgomery, Shawn Okpebholo, Dave Ragland, Carlos Simon and Joel Thompson. In July 2024, she released her debut commercial recording, Beyond the Years, alongside pianist Michelle Cann and ONEComposer on Azica Records.
BEST CLASSICAL SOLO VOCAL ALBUM 2025
Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price
Karen Slack, soprano and Michelle Cann, pianist
"voluptuous rapture tends to prevail – a gift to Michelle Cann’s ardently responsive pianism and Karen Slack’s vocal resources, which encompass soaring top notes, a gorgeously mezzo-like lower register and a predisposition towards a velvety sumptuousness."
- BBC Music Magazine
Discover the album here.
#KikiKonversations is a Facebook live talk show that premiered on Thursday, April 23, 2020. #Konvos was an idea born at my dinning room table 2 months into the pandemic as a way for artists and industry leaders to connect during this time when we’d been hit with devastating loss in our industry due to Covid-19.
CONNECT WITH KAREN
@kikislacksoprano
![Repost from @uoftvoice
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What an incredible week with our John R. Stratton Visitor in Music, soprano Karen Slack! Throughout this week she gave private coachings as well as a public master class for Faculty of Music singers. On Thursday, we were so lucky to have had the Canadian premier of her remarkable recital African Queens with pianist Kevin Miller. Thank you so much to you both for sharing your time, knowledge, and artistry with our students this past week.
@uoftmusic
[image description: Image 1 - Karen Slack and Kevin Miller holding hands on the Walter Hall stage, about to bow. Image 2 - Faculty of Music singers and pianists pose alongside Karen Slack on the Walter Hall Stage for a group photo. Image 3 - Karen Slack and Kevin Miller pose together in front of a White Wall, smiling.]](https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.75761-15/486379123_18488146564008839_879142019337290892_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=18de74&_nc_ohc=qM89oxDS8doQ7kNvwEnZVf0&_nc_oc=AdmUKIuaiCL_NEKd2xjvyQKfvvYT0ZYY9lQursvM97ilZ0awvwIuJIIQuZvlgiFIUos&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=0Q3BkSmAQYQh69jemrO-yg&oh=00_AfFQJOjL7vBkWmIGVPh5MpFVnUQ2HoOlD-NHhqCulZtyVg&oe=6815CD23)
