Karen Slack Closes Out Intensive Residency with Standing Ovation
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ ”
These famous words from Songs from Love and Justice by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were proclaimed like never before in an opera recital Friday evening at Carling-Sorenson Theater that marked the culmination of a weeklong intensive residency at Babson College with world-renowned opera soprano Karen Slack. Her performance, Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice, accompanied by esteemed pianist Kamilla Arku, demonstrated the depth of her talent and the gravitas of her original musical piece to an audience of captivated students, faculty, staff, and the greater Babson community.
The recital was one of three meaningful events Slack shared with the Babson community during her intensive residency program, which was co-sponsored by the Office of President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD; Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the division of Learner Success and Campus Life; and BabsonARTS.
Over the course of the week, Slack spent time individually coaching students on their artistry in a master class, and she shared her experiences with fusing business and the arts throughout her career in an intimate talk with Associate Professor of Marketing Anjali Bal titled, “The Entrepreneurial Life of an Artist: Personal Brand and Building a Career.”
Entrepreneurship and the Arts
During the residency, Slack developed quality connections with the students who took part in her teachings, allowing them to experience firsthand the value of learning from an entrepreneurial leader in the music industry.
Hailey McCarthy ’25, an active member of the Babson Players and a lead in the upcoming Heathers, the Musical, was able to bring her solo piece to a one-on-one session with Slack, and the experience, McCarthy said, was game-changing. McCarthy used the opportunity to help her better interpret and portray her character through the music and immediately applied Slack’s technical vocal insights to her singing.
“Representation for the arts on campus is important, and Babson’s decision to bring Karen Slack to campus shows their dedication not only to preparing students for business but also exposing them to the humanities, which is equally important to creating well-rounded graduates,” McCarthy said. “Every Babson student should graduate with an entrepreneurial spirit that helps us adapt to diverse conversations from music theory to artificial intelligence with ease.”
Friday’s emotional and thought-provoking performance by Slack and Arku was met with a standing ovation. Relive the experience of Karen Slack’s intensive residency program through photos from the events of the inspiring week:
Soprano Karen Slack and pianist Kamilla Arku delivered a powerful opera performance Friday evening at the Carling-Sorenson Theater. Photo: Nile Scott Studios 
Slack created Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice in the summer of 2020 during the height of the pandemic and just after the murder of George Floyd. Photo: Nile Scott Studios 
Accompanied by pianist Kamilla Arku, Slack took the audience on an emotional journey, exploring themes of love and justice and reminding all that without love there can never be liberty or justice for all. Photo: Nile Scott Studios 
Slack answers questions from recital attendees in a talk-back session immediately following the performance. Photo: Nile Scott Studios 
Karen Slack and Kamilla Arku take questions from the audience at the Carling-Sorenson Theater. Photo: Nile Scott Studios 
The riveting performance moved the audience to ask questions about her inspiration behind the piece and her craft as an opera soprano. Photo: Nile Scott Studios 
Karen Slack provided individual coaching to students in an intimate group setting. Photo: Babson College 
Photo: Babson College 
For the second event of her residency, Karen Slack joined Anjali S. Bal, Associate Professor of Marketing at Babson, for a talk about developing a successful personal brand and building your career. Photo: Babson College 
Trustee Amanda Strong ’87 and Karen Slack at the post-performance reception. Photo: Babson College staff 
Photo: Babson College staff
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