Music

Marian Anderson

Born February 27, 1897 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Joined the Ancestors April 8, 1993

A voice that comes once in a hundred years — Marian Anderson shattered racial barriers in classical music and delivered one of the most powerful performances in American history on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Known For

Lincoln Memorial concert, 1939

First

First Black singer at the Metropolitan Opera

Honor

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Marian Anderson was born in South Philadelphia and began singing in her church choir at age six. Her voice was so extraordinary that her community raised funds to pay for her training. She studied with some of the finest vocal teachers in America and Europe.

In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to let Anderson perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. because she was Black. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR in protest, and the concert was moved to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. On Easter Sunday, Anderson sang before 75,000 people and a radio audience of millions — a moment that became a landmark in the civil rights movement.

In 1955, she became the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. She served as a delegate to the United Nations and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Conductor Arturo Toscanini said hers was "a voice such as one hears once in a hundred years."