National Marian Anderson Museum
762 S. Martin St.
Philadelphia, Pa. 19146
215-779-4219
marianandersonhistoricalsociety.weebly.com
Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Marian Anderson (1897 - 1993)
- Marian Anderson was a world-renowned vocalist born and raised in Philadelphia.
- She was considered one of the most gifted contraltos of the 20th century.
- Anderson began singing at the Union Baptist Church in Philadelphia at the age of 6.
- She was self-taught as she was denied entry to a Philadelphia school to study because of her race. Her church raised money to send her to Europe to study music.
- Marian's performed in concerts and recitals and with major orchestras throughout Europe and America from 1925 through 1965.
- Anderson broke racial barriers through her art. Denied the chance to perform in the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall due to her race, Anderson--with the help of then-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt-- staged a groundbreaking concert in 1939 to a crowd of 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial.
- She was the first African-American soloist to perform at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 1955.
- In 1995, her South Philadelphia home became the National Marian Anderson Museum.
------
- Send a breaking news alert to Action News
- Report a correction or typo
- Learn more about the 6abc family of apps