Marian anderson biography african-american

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Who Was Marian Anderson?

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

Members of her church congregation raised funds for her to attend a music school for a year, and in 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, , 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.

Marian anderson biography book

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 slow down Anderson'