World Premiere of a commission by James Lee III with Soprano Karen Slack

The Pacifica Quartet and soprano Karen Slack gave the world premiere performance of a new piece by James Lee III, entitled “Double Standard,” at Carnegie Hall and an encore performance the next day for the Shriver Hall Concert Series in June. The work is based on the poem “Double Standard” by the prolific Black poet, suffragist, and abolitionist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper who was a free Black woman in the 19th century from Baltimore. The piece was commissioned by Carnegie Hall, the Shriver Hall Concert Series, Chamber Music Cincinnati, and Chamber Music Detroit.