Karen Slack's New Project Celebrates Harlem Renaissance Icon Gladys Bentley and Black Queer Voices Through Music
Karen is a skilled storyteller, a champion for new work, and a thoughtful producer, and she is developing a project to honor the life of the iconic Harlem Renaissance performer Gladys Bentley, putting Black Queer voices front and center while exploring themes of Black love, identity, and artistry through the lens of the Harlem Renaissance. Gladys was a sparkling and revered presence throughout that scene, but her story has faded with time and Karen seeks to create a musical platform that shines a light on her accomplishments and brings her story to life through commissioning a new concert work.
The new work will be an approx. 20 minute orchestral song cycle scored for soprano (with Karen as featured soloist) and orchestra, with original libretto by Lorene Cary and music written by multiple Emmy-award nominated LA-based composer Kathryn Bostic.
A Look into Gladys Bentley's Story
When it comes to loosening social mores, progress that isn’t made in private has often taken place onstage. That was certainly the case at the Clam House, a Prohibition-era speakeasy in Harlem, where Gladys Bentley, one of the boldest performers of her era, held court. In her top hat and tuxedo, Bentley belted gender-bending original blues numbers and lewd parodies of popular songs, eventually becoming Harlem royalty. When not accompanying herself with a dazzling piano, the mightily built singer often swept through the audience, flirting with women in the crowd and soliciting dirty lyrics from them as she sang. By the early 1930s, Bentley was Harlem’s most famous lesbian figure — a significant distinction, given that gay, lesbian and gender-defying writers and performers were flourishing during the Harlem Renaissance. For a time, she was among the best-known black entertainers in the United States.
Gladys Bentley on "You Bet Your Life" with Groucho Marx
Contact Us
We invite you to contact us now about finding a date to bring The Gladys Bentley Project to your series in the 2025/26 season.