Un ballo in maschera

In 1987, she made her Salzburg Festival debut as Oscar in Verdi’s Un Ballo in maschera under the musical guardians of maestro Karajan. Remarkably, it was only a year had elapsed since her graduation from Santa Cecilia Academy, Rome, Italy. Sumi Jo’s fervent attempts to sing has been leading her to portrait many great opera

Marian Anderson was an American contralto concert performer from Philadelphia. Born in 1897 to a schoolteacher and ice and coal seller, Anderson showed musical talent from an early age. She started singing in her church choir at age 6 and at age 14, with her powerful and beautiful voice, she moved up to the adult choir. The other members were so impressed with her abilities that they started “Marian Anderson’s Future Fund” to help raise money for professional training (Biography 2015). After her

voice returned free of impairment. Following her recovery, Anderson made her first post-World War II tour of Europe, including stops in Scandinavia, Paris, London, Antwerp, Zurich, and Geneva. On Jan. 7, 1955, Anderson sang Ulrica in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera (The Masked Ball) at New York's Metropolitan Opera House, and she returned the following season in the same role. This was the first time an African American person had sung with the Metropolitan since it opened in 1883. Over the years, Anderson

Successful classical soprano performer Leontyne Price was one of the first artists to benefit from Marian Anderson’s hard work and dedication. The day after Marian Anderson’s death, April 8th, 1993 Price discussed the ways in which Anderson was able to overcome obstacles while remaining consistently professional and keeping the high standards she set on her performances. Marian Anderson was born on February 27, 1897. She was considered one of the most celebrated African-American artists of the

Imagine you are in a darkened theater and on stage are the actors. Behind the actors you can see the scenery. Down in front of the stage, in what is called the pit, is an orchestra and a conductor. As the orchestra plays, the actors on stage do not speak their lines they sing them! Opera is the combination of drama and music. Like drama, opera embraces the entire spectrum of theatrical elements: dialogue, acting, costumes, scenery and action, but it is the sum of all these elements, combined with