Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu

Classical Communiqué Classical blog

Discussing the way classical music touches the mind and the heart.

subscribe

 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

Marian Anderson's Groundbreaking Met Opera Moment

Friday, January 9, 2015
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
  

It was conductor Arturo Toscanini who said a voice like Marian Anderson's comes around only once in a century.

Sixty years ago Wednesday, Anderson became the first African-American soloist to sing at New York's Metropolitan Opera. She was in her late 50s when she appeared Jan. 7, 1955, in Verdi's Un ballo en maschera.

 

F. Paul Driscoll, editor-in-chief of Opera News, says Anderson was made for the role of Ulrica.

"The role of the sorceress is something that depends a lot on the charisma of the performer, the ability to suggest a world beyond what you are seeing in front of you," Driscoll says. "And that's what Marian Anderson did every time she walked onstage."

Anderson later said she felt the pressure of that first performance: "I was there onstage, mixing the witch's brew. I trembled, and when the audience applauded and applauded before I could sing a note, I felt myself tightening into a knot." Despite her nerves, and that she was in the twilight of her career, the performance received a huge ovation.

"Men as well as women were dabbing at their eyes," a New York Times reviewer wrote.

This groundbreaking performance, Driscoll says, was just one step in the broader acceptance of African-American performers in classical music.

Just 20 days later, baritone Robert McFerrin — father of jazz singer Bobby McFerrin — followed Anderson as the first male African-American Met soloist. He appeared in Verdi's Aida as Amonasro on Jan. 27, 1955.

"The country didn't change overnight," Driscoll says. "There were still problems taking African-Americans on tour for the Met throughout the '50s and the '60s. So in other words, it's not as if everything became rosy in 1955. But seeing this as an important symbol, that this was the beginning of the integration in the deepest sense of classical music, that's why it's important."

 opera

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

More Classical Posts

Adam Conte/Courtesy of the artist

Meet Raven Chacon, the first indigenous person to win the Pulitzer Prize for music

May 11, 2022

More From CapRadio Music

John Clayton/Skylar Tang

Who says big band jazz is for old people? Not this teenage composer

May 11, 2022
Courtesy of the artist

Classic jazz revitalized in new release by Catherine Russell

May 12, 2022
Courtesy of the artist

Michael Wolff: Jazz Innovator, Life Optimist

May 16, 2022
We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

More From CapRadio Music

Courtesy of the artist

Classic jazz revitalized in new release by Catherine Russell

May 12, 2022
Courtesy of the artist

Michael Wolff: Jazz Innovator, Life Optimist

May 16, 2022
John Clayton/Skylar Tang

Who says big band jazz is for old people? Not this teenage composer

May 11, 2022

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.