The late Anne Wiggins Brown was the first Black vocalist admitted to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, and went on to play Bess in the opera, Porgy and Bess. Brown was born August 9, 1912 in Baltimore, Md.
Brown was born Anne Wiggins and was said to be a vocal prodigy from the time she was a toddler. She was trained as a vocalist at what is now known as Morgan State University. After the Peabody Institute denied Brown entry due to her race, she auditioned for Juilliard and was admitted at 16.
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Upon learning that George Gershwin was composing an opera about Black Americans in the South, Brown sent the composer a letter that led to an audition and collaboration of sorts, prompting Gershwin to expand the role of Bess and add the character’s name to the opera.
In 1998, Brown was given the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America from the Peabody Institute, the same institution that denied her seven decades prior, bringing her career full circle.
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