Happy MLK - Check out Marian Anderson!
Happy MLK day! We will still be having lessons today (see semester calendar at the end of this post), but I wanted to share about a very significant vocalist who was the first black woman to ever sing at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955.
I am grateful to my dear friend for sharing this wonderful, comprehensive biography of this remarkable woman:
Check out this biography! But, know that it is very extensive and thorough!
In this biography, Marian's life is chronicled by Allan Keiler. Her incredible resolve as a musician and vocalist are inspirational. She works tirelessly for her entire life to improve her craft and studies all over the world with some of the best vocal coaches in multiples languages. On top of this incredible training as a vocalist, Ms. Anderson also had to fight and work that much harder to be given the right to perform in many spaces which often excluded her because of her skin tone. When the DAR rejected her request to put on a concert at Constitution Hall as a black woman, Eleanor Roosevelt (a member of the DAR) resigned over this clear racism.
Instead, Marian gave an astonishing concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Check out her opera renditions of some patriotic songs (and one of the my favorite Christmas songs):
Marian Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial,
&
Also:
Marian Anderson - "O Holy Night"
Here is the semester calendar for the rest of the year:
Musically Yours,
Miss Liz & Henrietta the Cat
