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Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993) was an American contralto singer celebrated as one of the most prominent vocalists of the twentieth century. Music critic Alan Blyth described her voice as a "rich, vibrant contralto of intrinsic beauty." Between 1925 and 1965, Anderson performed in major music venues and with renowned orchestras across the United States and Europe. Although she received offers from important European opera companies, she declined due to her lack of acting training, preferring to perform only in concert and recital settings. Nonetheless, she included opera arias in her performances and had a diverse repertoire that encompassed concert literature, lieder, opera, traditional American songs, and spirituals. From 1940 to 1965, she was accompanied by a German-American pianist. Anderson became a significant figure in the fight against racial prejudice for black artists in the United States during the mid-twentieth century. In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) denied her permission to perform for an integrated audience at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. This incident brought her international attention, and with the support of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she held a celebrated open-air concert on April 9, 1939, at the Lincoln Memorial, performing before an integrated audience of over 75,000 and millions on the radio. Anderson broke further barriers by becoming the first black

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