Acclaimed Composer Tamar-kali to Debut Inspirational Work Featuring Soprano Karen Slack and Miró Quartet at Arizona Friends of Chamber Music Winter Festival 2026
Approximately 15 minutes in length, this new work by acclaimed concert and film composer Tamar-kali (Mudbound) will feature soprano Karen Slack and the Miró Quartet, setting texts centered in the inspirational poetry of women of the Harlem Renaissance. Tamar-kali hopes to pay homage to the music and poetry of that time, bringing to the fore her own unique voice as a contemporary composer whose work is grounded across contemporary pop, classical and film music genres.
Concert Program*
Samuel Barber: Quartet in B minor, Op. 11, I. Molto allegro e appassionato
Margaret Bonds: Creek-Freedman Songs
Florence Price: Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, III. Juba. Allegro
Tamar-kali: New Work
Barber: Quartet in B minor, Op. 11, II. Molto adagio; III. Molto allegro
*****
George Walker: Lyric for Strings
William Grant Still: Songs of Separation (arr. Largess)
Stephen Taylor: Four Spirituals for Soprano and String Quartet
*Program subject to change
The work was commissioned for the Miró Quartet and Karen Slack by Arizona Friends of Chamber Music and a group of private donors on behalf of the for the Miró Quartet, and will be presented in its World Premiere performance in January 2026 during Arizona Friends of Chamber Music’s Winter Festival.
The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated and dedicated string quartets, having been labeled by The New Yorker as “furiously committed” and noted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for its “exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity.” For over twenty-five years the Quartet has performed throughout the world on the most prestigious concert stages, earning accolades from critics and audiences alike. Based in Austin, TX, and thriving on the area’s storied music scene, the Miró takes pride in finding new ways to communicate with audiences of all backgrounds while cultivating the longstanding tradition of chamber music.
Known for performances that “ripped the audience’s hearts out” (Opera News), 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 ground-breaking approach to engagement. She is an Artistic Advisor for Portland Opera, serves on the board of the American Composers Orchestra and Astral Artists, and holds a faculty position at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. Slack debuted the role of Billie in the 2019 world premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones and made her film debut portraying the Opera Diva in Tyler Perry’s movie and soundtrack For Colored Girls.
Contact Us
We invite you to contact us now about finding a date to bring the Miró Quartet & Karen Slack to your series in the 2025/26 season.