Marian anderson biography video prince

(1897-1993)

Who Was Marian Anderson?

Singer Marian Anderson displayed vocal talent as a child, but her family could not afford to pay for formal training.

Marian anderson biography video prince

Members of her church congregation raised funds for her to attend a music school for a year, and in 1955 she became the first African American singer to perform as a member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Early Years

Anderson was born on February 27, 1897, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The oldest of three girls, Anderson was just 6 years old when she became a choir member at the Union Baptist Church, where she earned the nickname "Baby Contralto." Her father, a coal and ice dealer, supported his daughter's musical interests and, when Anderson was eight, bought her a piano.

With the family unable to afford lessons, the prodigious Anderson taught herself.

At the age of 12, Anderson's father died, leaving her mother to raise her three still-young girls. His death, however, did not s