Marian Anderson

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Marian Anderson
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Early Life

• Born on February 27, 1987 in Philadelphia
• Oldest of three daughters
• Marian attended William Penn High School
• Music became a part of her life since the age of
  6, when she began singing with her church choir.
• Her nickname soon became Baby Contralto, and
  she came to be known as one of the most prominent
  contraltos of the twentieth century.

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Beginnings of a Career

• When Marian was 13 years old, she joined the
  senior choir at church and began visiting other
  churches becoming well-known and accepting
  invitations to sing.
• She became so popular, she would sometimes
  perform at three different places in a single
  night.
• Finally she summoned the confidence to request
  five dollars per performance.

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• Soon, William Billy King became her manager.
  Soon she was making 100 per concert.
• On April 23, 1924, they took a giant step and
  held a concert at New Yorks Town Hall.
• Unfortunately, it was poorly attended and critics
  found her voice lacking. Marian was so
  discouraged, she contemplated abandoning her
  career choice.

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• But shortly after, she won a singing contest
  through the Philadelphia Philharmonic Society .
• Then, in 1925, she entered the Lewisohn Stadium
  competition.
• She beat 300 rivals and sang in New Yorks
  amphitheater with the Philharmonic Orchestra
  accompanying her.

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Her Career

• On December 30, 1928, she performed a solo
  recital at Carnegie Hall.
• Marian Anderson faced a lot of racism throughout
  her career, but the most famous event was in 1939
  when the DAR refused to let her sing at
  Washington DCs Constitution Hall.
• In response, Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the
  DAR, and President Roosevelt had Marian sing on
  the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

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• Despite the racial tension she faced during her
  lifetime, Marian Anderson rose above the odds and
  had a very successful, meaningful career and
  life.
• She was the first African American to be named a
  permanent member of the Metropolitan Opera
  Company, as well as the first to perform at the
  White House.
• She was appointed an alternate delegate to the
  United Nations in 1958 and in 1963 was awarded
  the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On April 8,
  1993, Marian Anderson died of heart failure, at
  the age of 96.

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Marian Anderson practicing with Leonard Bernstein
Eleanor Roosevelt awarding Marian Anderson with
the Medal of Freedom