Touring Middle Tennessee:
When Marian Sang
Throughout the months of February and March, Nashville Opera’s production of “When Marian Sang: A Celebration of the Life of Marian Anderson” is touring throughout the Middle Tennessee area. This 40-minute showcase focuses on the life of Marian Anderson, a contralto who became the first black opera singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in a principal role.
The format of the show is based on a children’s picture book by Pam Muñoz Ryan of the same name. The performance alternated between a narrator, Yolanda Treece, reading passages from the book and soprano, Tamika Grier, singing excerpts of spirituals, the famous “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”, and a showstopping aria that brought the house down. Stephen Carey, Nashville Opera’s Chorusmaster and Engagement Director, also beautifully accompanied the performance on the piano.
The timeline of the program followed Marian’s life from when she was a “baby contralto at 10” to when she ultimately achieved her dream of singing at the Metropolitan Opera House. The book detailed her life growing up singing in a Baptist church, her dreams of going to music school, her work with voice teacher Giuseppi Boghetti, and overcoming discrimination and prejudice in society. The whole program was very interesting, and Grier’s powerful, rich lower register paired with her sparkling high notes resonated throughout the music hall. Treece’s warm, inviting narration also harbored a very intimate space where important, uncomfortable parts of history were able to be discussed.
As each segment of narration ended, Grier sang many spirituals to represent Marian’s religious upbringing and her life as a black woman before and during the Civil Rights Movement. These pieces included “Go Down Moses,” “Deep River,” and “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.” This created a very somber and reverent atmosphere as the program detailed Anderson’s struggles and obstacles performing as a woman of color. Grier’s rendition of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” was stunning and aimed at replicating the historic moment of Anderson performing this on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. As the book came to an end, Grier abandoned her music stand and performed “O Mio Babbino Caro” from Gianni Schicchi by Puccini. This was the musical and vocal highlight of the performance giving audience members goosebumps. However, it left me wanting a little more.
My biggest qualm with this production was that Marian Anderson famously was a contralto, while Tamika Grier has a singing career as a soprano. Casting a soprano in this showcase created a divide between what the audience was hearing and the actuality of Marian Anderson’s voice. I also wish that the final piece had been from the actual role she premiered in, which was Ulrica in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera. To me, the choice of “O Mio Babbino Caro” felt random and overdone. While Grier beautifully sang the soprano aria, there was a disconnect with the end of the performance.
However, despite this it was a great showcase of music and opened many people’s eyes to the life of such an influential opera singer. I love the fact that Nashville Opera creates showcases like this and takes it all throughout the Nashville area. It is a wonderful chance for the community to hear beautiful music and learn about important musical history free of charge. I highly recommend attending the performance if for nothing else to learn about Marian Anderson’s life and how she overcame racial discrimination and prejudice in a world that seemed against her. She never let her love for music waver, and her legacy will continue to live on creating a safe space for important progress to occur.
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Lily Warren is a soprano from Nashville, TN currently in her senior year pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at Middle Tennessee State University. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in Library Science with a focus in music after graduation while continuing to study musicology on the side.
