A Q&A with Rita Coburn Director of American Masters: Marian Anderson – The Whole World in Her Hands
M
arian Anderson is best remembered for her unforgettable 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial, held there after the Daughters of the American Revolution denied her the use of their concert hall because she was Black. But the classical singer’s life and artistry encompassed much more. Arturo Toscanini called her a voice of the century. She was the first Black soloist to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, and she found fame in Europe, garnering praise from the composer Jean Sibelius. She sang for
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nobility, presidents, and the March on Washington, and served as a delegate for the United Nations and cultural ambassador for the State Department. We spoke to Rita Coburn, the director of a new American Masters film on Anderson, which premieres on WTTW on Tuesday, February 8 at 9:00 pm. Coburn, a Chicago-area native who lives in the south suburbs, has previously directed an American Masters documentary on Maya Angelou.
GUIDE: What drew you to Marian Anderson?
RITA COBURN: Marian Anderson came to me. I’ve started to tell this story. Regardless of what other people may think, this is just the truth. When I finished making the Maya Angelou [documentary], I said, “Oh my God, what am I going to do now?” I don’t believe people come back from the dead. But what I do believe is that what’s on your heart is in your dreams, in your
Photos courtesy of World History Archive / Alamy Stock Photo
Marian Anderson singing at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Easter Sunday, 1939.
