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Marian Anderson Facts & Worksheets

Marian Anderson was the most highly celebrated African-American opera singer of her time. She performed in grand venues with well-known orchestras in the United States and Europe.

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Marian Anderson is an international contralto singer who broke down racial barriers and became an inspiration for the American civil rights movement. Her most famous performance was in 1939 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, when she drew 75,000 people of mixed races.

See the fact file below for more information on Marian Anderson, or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Marian Anderson worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Marian Anderson

  • She was an enslaved American’s granddaughter.
  • She faced discrimination when she began her career in the 1930s.
  • She spent the majority of her singing career with notable music orchestras.
  • Several European opera companies wanted her to perform with them, but she declined, claiming that she lacked acting skills.
  • She excelled in a wide range of genres, including spirituals, traditional American songs, opera, and concert literature.

Early Life

  • On February 27, 1897, she was born. Her father, John Berkley Anderson, worked at the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia, where she was born and raised. Before her marriage with John, her mother, Annie Delilah Rucker, was a student at the Virginia Seminary and college in Lynchburg and was able to work as a schoolteacher in Virginia.
    • Annie was unable to continue teaching in Philadelphia because Black teachers without degrees were barred from doing so, whereas White teachers were not. Instead, she worked as a babysitter to supplement her income.
  • Their entire family, including her younger siblings Alyse and Ethel, was involved in the Union Baptist Church, a practice that began with their parents, who were both devout Christians.
  • Her aunt Mary, John’s sister, was a church musician who persuaded her to join the junior church choir when she was six years old. Since then, she has begun to perform solos and even duets, frequently with her aunt.
    • Mary broadened her exposure by taking her to concerts at local churches, the YMCA, benefit concerts, and other Philadelphia music events.
    • Mary also forced her to sing at local functions, where she earned 25 to 50 cents for a few songs, which increased to four or five dollars when she was in her early teens.
  • She joined the People’s Chorus of Philadelphia as a soloist when she was ten years old, under the direction of Emma Azalia Hackley.
  • John was hurt while working at the Reading Terminal before Christmas in 1909. Her father died of heart failure shortly after the accident, at age 37.
  • They relocated to her paternal grandparents, Benjamin and Isabella Anderson.
    • Benjamin was enslaved since the time he managed to comprehend duties.
    • After he was emancipated in the 1860s, he moved to Philadelphia.
  • She quickly became close to her grandfather, but he died a year after they moved in.
  • She graduated from Stanton Grammar School in 1912.
  • She chose not to continue her studies immediately and not enroll in music lessons to help support her family.
  • Because they couldn’t afford music lessons or high school, she continued to perform whenever she saw an opportunity to learn from anyone willing to teach her.
  • She remained involved in their church’s musical activities until she joined the adult choir. As a member of the Baptist Young People’s Union and the Camp Fire Girls, she gained access to limited musical opportunities.
  • The People’s Chorus of Philadelphia and Reverend Wesley Parks, the pastor of their church, raised funds for her to attend singing lessons and high school with Mary Saunders Patterson and South Philadelphia High School, respectively.
  • She graduated from high school in 1921 and applied to the Philadelphia Musical Academy, an all-White music school, but was denied admission due to her race.
  • Nonetheless, she continued her education in another school that was still supported by the Philadelphia Black community.
  • She met Giuseppe Boghetti through her school principal and auditioned for him by singing “Deep River.” Boghetti was brought to tears during her performance.
    • He scheduled a recital in April 1924 at The Town Hall in New York City, which gathered poor reviews.
  • In 1923, she produced two recordings under the Victor company; one was “Deep River” while the other was “My Way’s Cloudy.”

Early Career

  • When she won a singing contest funded by the New York Philharmonic in 1925, she was allowed to conduct her winning piece in a concert accommodated by an orchestra on August 26, a performance that piqued the interest of both the audience and music critics.
  • Arthur Judson, whom she met through the New York Philharmonic, managed her early career.
  • She continued to make appearances in the United States, but her progress was hampered by racial prejudice.
  • She gave her first professional performance at Carnegie Hall in 1928.

Rosenwald Fund

  • In 1929, she performed at Orchestra Hall in Chicago, which was greeted with measured praise.
  • Ray Field and George Arthur, representatives from the Rosenwald Fund, a philanthropic organization founded by Julius Rosenwald, watched her performance.
  • She was encouraged to apply for a Rosenwald Fellowship, from which she received $1500 to study in Berlin.

European Tours

  • She spent a few months in Europe studying with Sara Charles-Cahier.
  • She traveled to Scandinavia in the summer of 1930, where she met Kosti Vehanen, a Finnish pianist who accompanied her regularly and later became her vocal coach for many years.
  • She also met Jean Sibelius through Vehanen, who invited them to his home. Sibelius praised her performance, and their professional collaboration began, with Sibelius altering and composing songs for her.
  • She made her European debut in 1933 with a concert at London’s Wigmore Hall.
  • She enjoyed touring Europe because she did not encounter the prejudices she had engaged in America.
  • During the mid-1930s, she traveled throughout Europe with Vehanen before returning to Scandinavia.

American Tours

  • Sol Hurok, an impresario, offered her a contract in 1934. She accepted it in place of Judson as her manager.
  • She was persuaded to return to America and perform.
  • She returned to The Town Hall in New York City in 1935, and this time she received positive reviews from critics.
  • She toured the United States and Europe for the next four years.
  • Several European opera houses offered her roles, but she declined due to her lack of acting experience. However, her studio recordings of arias became best-sellers.
  • Despite this, she was not exempt from Jim Crow laws in the 1930s and was turned away by some American hotels and restaurants.
  • Because of this discrimination, Albert Einstein hosted her on numerous occasions, the first in 1937, when she was not given a hotel room while performing at Princeton University, and the last before his death in 1955.

Lincoln Memorial Concert

  • She was disallowed to perform at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Constitution Hall on April 9, 1939. Furthermore, the Black patrons were directed to the back of the hall, which disappointed them.
  • The next day, Charles Edward Russell held a meeting of the Marian Anderson Citizens Committee (MACC).
  • The public was outraged, and thousands of DAR members, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, resigned as a result.
  • The American press, specifically the Philadelphia Tribune and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, backed her and her right to sing.
  • Her manager collaborated with President Roosevelt and Walter White to persuade Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes to hold an open-air concert on the Lincoln Memorial steps on April 9.
  • She was accompanied by Vehanen as they delivered a dignified and stirring rendition of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” to an estimated 75,000 people in attendance, as well as millions of national radio listeners.
  • After two months, Eleanor Roosevelt delivered a speech on national radio at the 30th NAACP conference. The First Lady presented her with the Spingarn Medal for distinguished achievement in 1939.

Mid-Career

  • During WWII and the Korean War, she performed to entertain troops in hospitals and at bases.
  • She sang at Constitution Hall in 1943 after being invited by the DAR as part of a benefit for the American Red Cross.
  • The District of Columbia Board of Education, on the other hand, refused to let her use their auditorium.
  • On June 15, 1953, she was the headline of The Ford 50th Anniversary Show which was broadcast live from New York City while she was singing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and a rendition of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” to close the program that attracted 60 million viewers.
  • She was the first African-American singer to sing with the Metropolitan Opera in a performance on January 7, 1955, in New York through the invitation of director Rudolf Bing. The company listed her as their permanent member even though she never appeared after them again.
  • She sang at the inaugurations of presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy in 1957 and 1961, respectively.

Later Life

  • In 1965, she retired from singing but continued to appear publicly.
  • In 1973, she was given the Award of Merit by the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club.
  • In 1977, she received the United Nations Peace Prize, New York City’s Handel Medallion, and the Congressional Gold Medal.
  • She was also awarded the Kennedy Center Honors (1978), the George Peabody Medal (1981), the National Medal of Arts (1986), and a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement (1991).
  • She got married to architect Orpheus H. Fisher on July 17, 1943, in a private ceremony performed by United Methodist pastor Rev. Jack Grenfell. Fisher already had a son from his first marriage with Ida Gould, whose name was James, and he brought him into his marriage with Anderson.
  • In 1986, Fisher died, and she remained in their residence at Marianna Farm.
  • In 1992, the property was sold to developers who wanted to preserve the studio.
  • On April 9, 1993, she died at her nephew James DePriest’s home due to congestive heart failure.

Marian Anderson Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Marian Anderson across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Marian Anderson worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Marian Anderson, who was the most highly celebrated African-American opera singer of her time. She performed in grand venues with well-known orchestras in the United States and Europe.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

  • Marian Anderson Facts
  • All About Anderson
  • Correct Order
  • Celebrated Singer
  • Anderson’s Awards
  • True or False
  • Image Puzzle
  • Relevant Term
  • Musical Legends
  • Anderson’s Legacy
  • Song About Marian

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Marian Anderson most known for?

Marian Anderson is an international contralto singer who broke down racial barriers and became an inspiration for the American civil rights movement. Her most famous performance was in 1939 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, when she drew 75,000 people of mixed races.

What happened to Marian Anderson?

On April 9, 1993, she died at her nephew James DePriest’s home due to congestive heart failure.

Did Albert Einstein know Marian Anderson?

Because of this discrimination, Albert Einstein hosted her on numerous occasions, the first in 1937, when she was not given a hotel room while performing at Princeton University, and the last before his death in 1955.

How did Marian Anderson change the world?

She was the first Black singer to sing with the Metropolitan Opera in a performance on January 7, 1955, in New York through the invitation of director Rudolf Bing. The company listed her as their permanent member even though she never appeared after them again.

Why is Marian Anderson a hero?

She chose not to continue her studies immediately and not to enroll in music lessons to help support her family.

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Use With Any Curriculum

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