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:

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Tagged Arts, Entrepreneurs of All Kinds, Entrepreneurship Education

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