Marian Anderson at the Met: Marian at the Met: Background

Marian at the Met: Background

Rudolf Bing

Rudolf Bing served as General Manager of The Metropolitan Opera from 1950 until 1972. He brought about many changes in Met history, from the integration of the company with the hiring of Marian Anderson in 1955 to the historic move to the company’s new Lincoln Center opera house in 1962.

Bing was born in Vienna, Austria in 1902. He successfully managed the Glyndebourn Opera and founded the Edinburgh Festival before coming to The Met. He became a naturalized British citizen in the 1940s and was knighted in 1971, just before his retirement. Bing died in 1997 at the age of 95.

Bing was remembered in a November 1997 OPERA NEWS article entitled "Remembering 'The Last Great Impresario.'"5 Contributors included Met performers and administrative staff, past and present. They remembered Bing as a father figure of sorts: strict and disciplined, but warm and eager to form personal connections with his artists and staff.

Mezzo-soprano Regina Resnik, who was already a Met performer when Bing took the helm in 1950, credited Bing with creating the post-war Met. As she told Sonya Haddad, "He brought a new look to design and direction, and a fresh insight into the repertory to attract a new audience." Tenor Franco Corelli noted that Bing "devoted his life to opera with elegance, wit, and brilliance, and brought it into a new golden age." Artistic Director James Levine remarked that "every aspect of the Company's artistry was significantly developed and expanded" during Bing's tenure. Though he may have rubbed some people the wrong way at first, Bing’s devotion to artistic integrity allowed him to transform The Met forever.

African-Americans at the Met

When Marian Anderson performed at The Met in 1955, she opened the door for other African-Americans to do the same. Here is a sampling of the Met careers of other African-American opera stars of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Baritone Robert McFerrin first graced The Met stage as Amonasro in Aida less than a month after Marian Anderson’s debut. He was the first male African-American singer in Met history and also the first to play a title role, which he did in Rigoletto, in 1956. He also passed on his love of music to his son, composer Bobby McFerrin.

Soprano Mattiwilda Dobbs made her Met debut in 1956 as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto. She was the first African-American to perform a major operatic heroine role at The Met. In 1957 she became the first African-American female to perform a title role, in Lucia di Lammermoor, in 1957.

Soprano Gloria Davy made her Met debut in 1958 in the title role of Aida. In her three years with The Met, she also performed such roles as Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Nedda (I Pagliacci), and Leonora (Il Trovatore).

Soprano Martina Arroyo made her Met debut in 1959 as the Celestial Voice in Verdi’s Don Carlo. Following her debut, Met General Manager Rudolf Bing told her, "Go and get the experience you need, and I will not forget." She later returned to The Met to perform such Verdi heroine roles as Aida (Aida), Elizabeth of Valois (Don Carlo), and Leonora (Il Trovatore). Arroyo had a reputation for being a terrific colleague who brought joy to all with her warm personality.

While Marian Anderson opened the door to African-American performers at The Met, soprano Leontyne Price ripped it off its hinges. She made her debut as Leonora in Il Trovatore in 1961, but was best known for her portrayal of Ethiopian princess Aida, a role she performed for nearly a quarter-century. She opened the new Met following the company’s move to Lincoln Center in 1966, singing Cleopatra in the world premiere of Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra.

George Shirley made his Met debut in 1961 as Ferrando in Così Fan Tutte and went on to play many other light tenor love interests. His major roles included Rodolfo (La Bohème), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Don José (Carmen), Roméo (Roméo et Juliette), and the Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto).

Soprano Reri Grist made her debut as Rosina in the 1965-66 season production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia. She went on to perform such roles as Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Olympia (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), and Gilda (Rigoletto) at The Met and was also a favorite at the Salzburg Festival.

Grace Bumbry performed many great mezzo-soprano roles during her Met career, including Princess Eboli (Don Carlo), which was her debut role in 1965. She also took on some soprano repertoire, including title roles in Tosca and Salome. In 1985, she played Bess in the Met premiere of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, which featured an all-African-American cast and chorus. Known for her big personality and voluptuous stage presence, Bumbry was the first African-American to sing a principle role (Venus in Tannhäuser) at Wagner’s own opera house, Bayreuth.

Bumbry’s co-star in Porgy and Bess was baritone Simon Estes, who made his Met debut in 1976. Estes performed several great baritone roles at The Met, including Wotan (Die Walküre) and Amonasro (Aida).

Shirley Verrett began her Met career in the title role of Carmen in 1968, and went on to perform many classic Verdi mezzo-soprano roles such as Princess Eboli (Don Carlo), Amneris (Aida), and Azucena (Il Trovatore). She had a huge career in the US and abroad and was considered one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of the 1970s and 80s. She also performed some soprano repertoire later in her career, including the title roles in Norma and Tosca.

Leona Mitchell debuted at The Met as Micaela (Carmen) in 1975. She performed many great soprano roles in her lengthy Met career, including Amelia (Un Ballo in Maschera), Leonora (Il Trovatore), and the title role in Aida. She also portrayed Delilah in The Met’s 1986 company premiere of Handel’s Samson.

Soprano Kathleen Battle was best known for her interpretations of Mozart heroines, including such roles as Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Despina (Così Fan Tutte), and Susannah (Le Nozze di Figaro). Blessed with a crystal-clear soprano voice, she made her Met debut in 1977, but was released in the mid-1990s.

Jessye Norman made her first appearance at The Met in 1968’s National Council Concert and built a tremendous recital career before making her Met debut as Cassandra (Les Troyens) in 1983. One of the true operatic superstars of the 20th century, she has an intense and commanding stage presence to match her astonishing voice.

Harolyn Blackwell made her first appearance at The Met as a finalist in the National Council Concert of 1983. Four years later, she made her debut as Poussette in Manon. She is best known for her portrayals of Adele in Die Fledermaus and Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera.

The 2004-2005 Met season features beloved mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves in Samson et Dalila. She is best known for her portrayals of sensual heroines Dalila and Carmen, the role in which she made her 1995 Met debut. She also performed at the National Prayer Service following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Later in 2005 she will travel to the Detroit Opera House to star in the world premiere of Margaret Garner, a new opera by Richard Danielpour, with a libretto by Toni Morrison.

The Color Barrier Breakers

Marian Anderson was the first African-American person to sing at The Met. Here is a list of other important African-American firsts:

1770	Crispus Attucks dies for American independence. An escaped slave, he is the first Colonial soldier killed by the British during the Boston Massacre.
1821	The African Company is founded in New York. It is the first black theatre company in the United States.
1834	Henry Blair receives a patent for his cotton-planting machine. He is the first African-American to be issued a patent by the United States Government.
1872	P.B.S. Pinchback is elected Governor of Louisiana. He serves a term of one month, and is the first African-American governor of any state. He is also the first African-American elected to the US House of Representatives (1872) and the Senate (1873), in two much disputed elections.
1892	Less than one year after its opening, Carnegie Hall hosts a concert by the World’s Fair Colored Opera Company.
1900	“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” the NAACP anthem, is composed by J. Rosamond Johnson, with text by James Weldon Johnson.
1903	Madam C.J. Walker becomes America’s first self-made woman millionaire. Her money comes from a hair-care business geared towards her loyal African-American clientele.
1916	The first collection of art song arrangements of spirituals is published by H.T. Burleigh. It is called Jubilee Songs of the United States.
1939	Hattie McDaniel is the first ever African-American to win an Academy Award. She is awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind.
1945	Todd Duncan portrays Tonio in I Pagliacci for New York City Opera. He is the first African-American to sing with a major American opera company.
1946	Camilla Williams signs a contract with New York City Opera, and goes on to debut there as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly.
1947	Jackie Robinson is the first African-American baseball player to play in the major leagues.
1948	Henry Lewis makes his debut as a double bassist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. At age 16, he is believed to be the first, and youngest, African-American to attain a permanent position with an American orchestra.
1950	Gwendolyn Brooks is the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize for her collection of poetry, Annie Allen. The first ever Tony award for an African-American goes to Juanita Hall for her portrayal of Bloody Mary in South Pacific.
1955	Marian Anderson makes her debut at The Metropolitan Opera. She is the first African-American singer to perform with the prestigious company. Later that year, Robert McFerrin makes his Met debut, and Leontyne Price becomes the first African-American to appear in an opera telecast.
1957	Althea Gibson sweeps the women’s singles and doubles championships at Wimbledon. She is the first African-American tennis player to win a major title.
1959	A Raisin in the Sun opens on Broadway. It is the first play by an African-American woman (Lorraine Hansberry) to be produced at that level.
1963	Sidney Poitier wins the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in Lilies of the Field. He is the first African-American actor to win this award.
1964	Martin Luther King Jr. is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the Civil Rights Movement. At age 35, he is the youngest ever recipient of the prestigious award.
1967	The Supreme Court is integrated with the appointment of Justice Thurgood Marshall. The first African-American Senator since Reconstruction is also elected this year – Edward W. Brooke, who serves two terms for his home state of Massachusetts.
1968	Arthur Ashe is the first African-American tennis player to win the US Open.
1977	Andrew Young is the first African-American ambassador to the United Nations.
1983	The first ever African-American Miss America is crowned: Vanessa Williams.
1984	Jesse Jackson becomes the first African-American to make a serious bid for the United States Presidency.
1989	General Colin Powell becomes the first African-American to chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
1991	Black Entertainment Television Holdings, Inc. becomes the first African-American company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
1993	Rita Dove becomes the first African-American poet laureate of the United States. Toni Morrison becomes the first African-American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Dr. Jocelyn Elders is confirmed as the first African-American Surgeon General of the United States.
1997	Tiger Woods wins the Masters tournament – the youngest, and first African-American golfer to do so.
2002	Halle Berry wins the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Monster’s Ball. She is the first African-American to win an Oscar in this category.
2005	Dr. Condoleeza Rice is sworn in as Secretary of State. She is the first African-American woman to hold this position.

Ulrica and Un Ballo in Maschera

When Rudolf Bing decided to cast an African-American singer at The Met, he knew he had to be careful. He had to find a role that would emphasize the singer’s voice and acting, not their skin color. In Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, he found his role: Ulrica, the sorceress who foretells the murder of the hero, Riccardo.

Bing felt Ulrica was an appropriate role for several reasons. Most importantly, he already had Marian Anderson in mind to break the color barrier, and he felt confident that she could handle the difficult vocal part. Ulrica is only in one scene, albeit a long one. If the audience turned against Marian, at least she wouldn't have to put up with it for long. Also, Ulrica is a sorceress who lives outside the bounds of society, and so even those who opposed The Met's integration would not be expected to identify with the first African-American performer. Fortunately, Marian and her manager agreed that Ulrica would be a good role, both for Marian to sing, and to break The Met's outdated color barrier. Later in Met history, other African-American singers would play heroes, heroines, love interests, and villains.


© Copyright 2005 The Metropolitan Opera Guild, Inc. Privacy Policy \| Terms and Conditions \| Photo Credits \| Home