Not ALL of you will agree on my selection of women for this feature article. However, I hope that afer you investigate the sites offered, that you will have an appreciation for all that they have done for the music industry and most importantly, for humanity, even if their music is not your "cup of tea."
Marian Anderson- Be sure and read the extended biography on Mrs. Anderson. Here is an excerpt from the link provided:
- In 1955, Marian Anderson broke an important musical color barrier when she made her long-overdue debut at the Metropolitan Opera, in the role of Ulrica in Un Ballo in
Maschera. In 1958, she was named by President Dwight D.
Eisenhower to delegate status at the General Assembly of the United Nations. This was one of innumerable honors bestowed on Ms. Anderson over the course of her life. She was awarded 24 honorary degrees by institutions of higher learning; she received medals from a long list of countries. She sang at President John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961, and President Johnson gave her the American Medal of Honor. On her 75th birthday in 1974, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution to have a special gold medal minted in her name.
Penn State's Marian Anderson Center
Press about the Marian Anderson Award
(This link is in Italian) Renee Fleming: Not being an opera buff myself, I hadn't heard of this "newcomer." However, on my way to work a week or so ago, NPR (National Public Radio) had an interview on the Morning Edition that perked my interest in covering her for this article. Renee Fleming has been a "name" on the opera scene for about four years now. She was raised in New York by a mom and dad who are both music teachers. She recounted in the interview how, when she was growing up, there would be periods of time where anything that was "said" between her and her mom or dad would be sung instead of spoken.
The Star Tribune has a nice article on Renee and a glamorous looking picture of her. There are also some sound files that you can listen to. In the interview by NPR, the interviewer made a statement that when sopranos sang opera and the listener happened to be tuning in via the television or the radio, that their instant reaction was to make the volume softer. Renee laughed and said that she was aware of that but hopefully, with her new album, The Beautiful Voice, they will feel less inclined to do that. She is a delightful and extremely talented soprano and I recommend her for those endearing opera buffs that may not have taken the time to get to know her voice. She may not have been around long enough to have left her mark in history, but I'd say, she is doing that right now.
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