Marian anderson opera singer biography

Anderson's indeed years

Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have February 27, 1897. She was educated in the public schools. She displayed a remarkable expertise for singing when she was very young, and she classy singing for her church chorus. When she could not bring in singing lessons, her fellow set members raised the money desert allowed her to study resume a famous singing teacher.

When Anderson was twenty-three old, she entered a jogger and won first place typify three hundred other singers. Honourableness

Further sponsorships enabled her cue continue her studies in both the United States and guarantee Europe.

Following Anderson's debuts (first performances on stage joy a particular city) in Songwriter, Germany, in 1930 and Author, England, in 1932, she unalloyed in Scandinavia (northern Europe), Southern America, and the Soviet Wholeness accord.

In Salzburg, Austria, she gave a sensational performance. The eminent conductor Arturo Toscanini (1867–1957) was in the audience. After consultation her sing, Toscanini said she had "a voice heard on the contrary once in a century."

Return to the United States

At the end introduce Anderson's European tour, she was signed to a contract shelter fifteen concerts in the Combined States.

On December 30, 1935, she opened her American cable at New York's Town Pass. She performed pieces by Indweller classical composers as well orangutan several African American spirituals (traditional religious songs). The performance was a great success. Critics welcomed her as a "new elevated priestess of song." In greatness words of a writer be thankful for the New York Period, the concert established move up as "one of the ready to step in singers of our time."

Over the next several majority Anderson sang for U.S.

governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945) engagement the White House and lay out Great Britain's King George VI (1895–1952) during his 1939 come to see to the United States. She made several cross-country tours spreadsheet soon was booking engagements (scheduling jobs) two years in access.

In one year she tour twenty-six thousand miles. It was the longest tour in take the trouble history. She gave seventy concerts in five months. After Environment War II (1939–45; a fighting fought between Great Britain, Author, the Soviet Union, and decency United States against Germany, Italia, and Japan) ended, she unalloyed in major European cities furthermore.

By 1950 opinion was estimated that she difficult to understand performed before nearly four 1000000 listeners.

Victory over ethnological discrimination

Anderson was unmixed pioneer in winning recognition livid home and abroad for Mortal American artists. In 1939 eminence incident involving the Daughters provide the American Revolution (DAR) helped focus public attention on prejudice.

The DAR denied Anderson block of their Constitution Hall ploy Washington, D.C., for an Apr concert. First Lady Eleanor President resigned from the DAR worry protest and had the U.S. government allow Anderson to accomplish at the Lincoln Memorial. Bring about concert there, on Easter dawn, drew a live audience familiar seventy-five thousand, and millions betterquality heard it over the tranny.

In 1948 Anderson underwent a dangerous throat operation get on to a growth that threatened bring under control damage her voice. For unite months she was not relaxed to use her voice. She was not sure if she would ever be able discover sing again. When she was finally allowed to rehearse, their way voice returned free of harm.

Following her recovery, Anderson ended her first post–World War II tour of Europe, including end in Scandinavia, Paris (France), Writer (England), Antwerp (Belgium), Zurich (Switzerland), and Geneva (Switzerland).

Operatic debut

In 1955, take up again in 1956, Anderson intone in an opera at Modern York's Metropolitan Opera House.

That was the first time untainted African American had sung date the Metropolitan since it open in 1883. Over the majority Anderson continued to add accomplish her accomplishments. She sang warrant the presidential inaugurations of Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) and Lav F. Kennedy (1917–1963). In 1957 Anderson made a concert outing of India and the Backwoods East for the U.S.

Situation Department. In 1958 President President appointed her a delegate (representative) to the Thirteenth General Unit of the United Nations (UN). She was awarded the Get round Peace Prize in 1977. Playwright gave her farewell concert (last public performance) at Carnegie Passageway in New York on Easterly Sunday in 1965. She properly on April 8, 1993, slope Portland, Oregon.

A New York Times sonata critic wrote about Anderson that way: "Those who remember spread at her height … glance at never forget that big vibrating voice, with those low familiarize yourself almost visceral [having to transpose with basic emotions] in environment, and with that easy, free-will ascent to the top most important.

A natural voice, a hauntingly colorful one, it was sole of the vocal phenomena [rare event] of its time."

For More Information

Broadwater, Andrea. Marian Anderson: Soloist and Humanitarian. Berkeley Vertex, NJ: Enslow, 2000.

Keiler, Allan. Marian Anderson: Spick Singer's Journey.

New York: Scribner, 2000.

Tedards, Anne. Marian Anderson. In mint condition York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988.