Piedmont Opera concludes its season with Karen Slack's African Queens, a free community concert underwritten in its entirety by The John W. and Anna H. Hanes Foundation.

 

The production is curated and performed by Grammy Award-winning soprano Karen Slack, who originated the role of Billie in Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones.

 

African Queens celebrates the history and legacy of seven extraordinary African queens—revered figures whose stories remain underrepresented in Western cultural narratives.

 

The program combines powerful new works by composers including Jasmine Barnes, Damien Geter, Jessie Montgomery, Fred Onovwerosuoke, Will Liverman, Shawn Okpebholo, Dave Ragland, Carlos Simon, and Joel Thompson, along with traditional repertoire, spoken word, and visual art.

 

Piedmont Opera will be collaborating with Triad Cultural Arts on this project. The evening will be introduced by Jackie Alexander, the acclaimed Producing Artistic Director of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company, adding a powerful voice to this extraordinary celebration of culture and music