After the Daughters of the American Revolution(DAR) denied her use of the “Whites Only” Constitution Hall in Washington D.C, Anderson found new places to share her voice. On April 9th 1939, Marian Anderson stood in front of 75,000 people in Washington D.C. Although, this was not her first performance. Anderson had performed in many small venues, each one bigger than the last. Over the period of these concerts she accumulated such a large amount of fans that the only place they could fit was the Constitution Hall. When unable to have her concert at the Constitution Hall, Eleanor Roosevelt helped Anderson set up this memorable performance on the steps of Lincoln's memorial
Anderson toured through Europe before she got more popular in the United States. She also studied in Europe. When she was in there she studied music and other arts. While in Europe she gave a few small concerts. She then was invited to tour in Sweden. The Swedes enjoyed her voice very much because they had never heard this type of singing before. Anderson became incredibly popular in Sweden, she had gained a large amount of respect from the people there. At the end of her European tour, she was signed to a contract for fifteen concerts though the United States.
Anderson sang the national anthem at the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957. And, between the 14th of September and the 2nd of December of that year, Anderson traveled 39,000 miles in Asia, performing twenty-four concerts. Accompanying Anderson was journalist Edward R. Murrow, who filmed the trip for his "See It Now" television series. The program, which aired on the 30th of December, was released by RCA Records under the title The Lady from Philadelphia. In 1958 Anderson served as a member of the U.S. delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Over her two years of studying with Boghetti, Anderson won a chance to sing at the Lewisohn Stadium in New York after entering a contest organized by the New York Philharmonic Society.Other opportunities soon followed. In 1928, she performed at Carnegie Hall for the first time, and eventually embarked on a tour through Europe thanks to a Julius Rosenwald scholarship.Much of Anderson's life would ultimately see her breaking down barriers for African-American performers. In 1955, for example, the gifted contralto singer became the first African American to perform as a member of the New York Metropolitan Opera.
Marian Anderson's honors included a doctorate of music from Howard University (1938) and honorary degrees from more than 20 other American educational institutions. She received the Spingarn Medal from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1939 and the Bok Award of $10,000 from her hometown of Philadelphia in 1941. In addition to decorations from many foreign governments, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. At age 89, in 1991, Anderson was honored as the subject of a 60-minute documentary broadcast over public television. She died on April 8, 1993.
2014 Marian Anderson Award Recipients are Jamie Barton, and mezzo soprano. This award is given to young artists who have contributed to our society. It was created in 1998, honoring Marian Anderson. The first person to receive this award was Harry Belafonte. Recipients are given a study grant along with this award, this is another way they honer Anderson. The next Marian Anderson award will be given on November 10th, 2015.