Marian Anderson

Born Philadelphia, Marian Anderson was active in music at her church growing up. At an early age she joined the youth choir and often performed at various venues around the city. After high school, she applied to and was denied admission to an all-white music school. Unwavered, she went on to pursue music independently. She gained notoriety when she won a singing competition sponsored by the New York Philharmonic. She began touring Europe in the early 1930s, and did not experience the racial prejudices she had in America. She went on tour to Scandinavia, Russia and Eastern Europe. She gained a positive reputation with conductors and composers. She sang at inauguration ceremonies for President Dwight D. Eisenhower and President John F. Kennedy. In 1963, Anderson received a Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1965 she retired from public performance, but continued to win honors and awards such as a Congressional Gold Medal in 1977, a National Medal of Arts in 1986 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992. Marian Anderson died on April 8, 1993 at the age of 96.