Awakenings: ♫A Voice Such as One Hears Once in a Hundred Years♫

An additional spotlight shines today not only on a woman of incredible voice (contralto) but also one who left an indelible mark in United States history. A life filled with its share of shrugs and denials did not deter this lady's ambitious nature but instead fueled her desire to become successful. As an acclaimed singer, her remarkable performance on this day in history helped set the stage for the civil rights era. She became a woman of many firsts...

In 1935, she was invited by President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor to perform at the White House, the first African American ever to receive this honor.
In 1939, she became the first to raise a voice from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with a message of hope for America's future.
In 1955, the gifted contralto singer became the first African American to perform as a member of the New York Metropolitan Opera.

Welcome into the Spotlight...

Marian Anderson was an international superstar in the 1930s—a singer possessed of what Arturo Toscanini called “a voice such as one hears once in a hundred years.”

Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 - April 8, 1993)

Marian Anderson is remembered as one of the best American contraltos (women with lower singing voices) of all time. Performances in both the United States and across Europe received international acclaim. By 1950, it was estimated she had performed before nearly four million listeners.

Marian Anderson was an African-American contralto, best remembered for her performance on Easter Sunday, 1939, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The concert began with a stirring rendition of ~ez_ldquo~America." The event had been arranged by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes, after the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) banned Anderson from singing in Constitution Hall. The snub had generated a great uproar, and thousands of DAR members resigned, including Eleanor Roosevelt. Four years later, Anderson was invited by the DAR to sing at a benefit for the American Red Cross. [Source: United States History]