PBS to Present ‘Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands’
By Nicolas QuirogaOn Feb. 8, 2022, PBS will present “American Masters – Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands,” in honor of Black History Month and the 125th anniversary of the famed singer’s birthday.
Directed by Emmy Award winner Rita Cobern, the documentary explores Anderson’s life, career, and legacy by drawing from 34 cassette tapes of interviews recorded in the 1950s. The film also presents rare audio recordings, photographs, and personal correspondence to and from family and friends, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Josephine Baker and Langston Hughes, among many others. It also includes interviews with such opera stars as Denyce Graves, George Shirley, J’Nai Bridges, Martina Arroyo, Angela Brown, among others.
Anderson broke down barriers for Black performers throughout her career. In 1955, she became the first Black vocalist to perform as a member of New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Over the next several decades of her life, Anderson’s stature only grew. In 1961 she performed the national anthem at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. Two years later, President Kennedy honored the singer with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. After retiring from performing in 1965, Anderson retired to a life on her farm in Connecticut. In 1991, the music world honored her with a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
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