Philadelphia Orchestra To Rename Its Verizon-Branded Concert Hall After Pioneering Singer And Civil Rights Icon Marian Anderson

Marian Anderson, the renowned singer and civil rights icon who broke racial barriers in the arts and helped pave the way for other Black artists, is being honored in her hometown of Philadelphia.

The home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, will be renamed in honor of the pioneering Black contralto, according to The Associated Press. 

Born in Philadelphia, Anderson achieved groundbreaking success as a singer and became an icon for breaking racial barriers in the performing arts. She was the first Black singer to perform at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1955. 

“Knowing Marian, she would be humble,” her niece, Ginette DePriest, the wife of late conductor James DePriest, told The Associated Press. “She always used to say: ‘Don’t make any fuss about this,’ but I think that the fact that it’s her hometown that she adores — I think she would be obviously honored but mostly humbled by this gesture.”

Anderson died in 1993 at age 96. The renaming was announced Wednesday, a day after the 127th anniversary of her birth on February 27.

Richard Worley and Leslie Miller, prominent supporters of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Kimmel Center, are underwriting the name change with a generous $25 million gift. 

“A tribute to Marian Anderson of this nature, we think it’s long overdue,” Miller said. “She was an iconic artist, and she fought discrimination at every turn with grace and grit and kept on going. She deserves this kind of recognition.”

The Marian Anderson Hall dedication and unveiling will take place with a special concert featuring renowned artists on June 8, symbolizing the celebration of Anderson’s enduring influence on music and society.