marian anderson

There are few things more vulnerable than singing, unless you’re Leontyne Price, of course. For the rest of us, though, it can be fraught. Laverne shares with us her journey through developing her voice as a transgender woman and as a lover of singing. And while the road, she says, has had some traumatic moments, she knows she will never stop. In fact, she has recently released her own version of the operatic classic “Summertime” from the opera Porgy and Bess - pop diva style! In this diary, Laverne talks about the study of voice, what makes a voice beautiful, and always being in process.

Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal.

As always, stay in the love.

***

Links of Interest:

Summertime: A TripHopera (Official Video)

Shequida Hall (Instagram)

Key’mon Murrah, Countertenor 

The 5 Countertenors (YouTube)

Farinelli Movie Trailer (YouTube)

Derek Lee Ragin for Farinelli (YouTube)

Jessye Norman (YouTube)

Sarah Vaughn (YouTube)

Varla Jean Merman

Leontyne Price (NEA Opera Honors Interview, YouTube)

Kennedy Center Honors Leontyne Price (YouTube)

Marian Anderson Sings at Lincoln Memorial, 1939 (YouTube)

Marian Anderson "Ave Maria" on The Ed Sullivan Show, 1952 (YouTube)

Other Episodes Mentioned:

Opera & Diva Worship with Ira Siff

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sandie Bailey, Alex Alcheh, Lauren Hohman, Tyler Klang & Gabrielle Collins

Producer & Editor: Brooke Peterson-Bell

Associate Producer: Akiya McKnight

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leontyne Price (1927-present) broke barriers by singing in a long-segregated style–opera. She became one of the most beloved voices of her generation and opened the door for even more Black opera stars.

History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more.  Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures. 

Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, and Ale Tejeda. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.

We are offering free ad space on Wonder Media Network shows to organizations working towards social justice. For more information, please email Jenny at pod@wondermedianetwork.com.

Listen to the accompanying playlist for this month here. 

Follow Wonder Media Network:

• Website
• Instagram
• Twitter

To take the Womanica listener survey, please visit: https://wondermedianetwork.com/survey 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marian Anderson was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. 

Anderson was born in Philadelphia on February 27, 1897. On January 7, 1955, Anderson became the first African-American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. 

During her life, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, the National Medal of Arts, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

BlackFacts.com is the Internet's longest running Black History Encyclopedia. Our podcast summarizes the vast stories of Black history in daily episodes known as Black Facts Of The Day™.

Since 1997, BlackFacts.com has been serving up Black History Facts on a daily basis to millions of users and followers on the web and via social media.

Learn Black History. Teach Black History.

For more Black Facts, join Black Facts Nation at BlackFacts.com/join.

Because Black History is 365 Days a Year, and Black Facts Matter!

Comedian Dwayne Perkins joins Fritz and Weezy for a conversation that moves from the roots of funny to the rules of zombie literature. Dwayne’s comedy specials can be found at Drybar and on streaming media. His books, Hot Chocolate for the Mind and Zombie Run are available wherever you find books and Dwayne’s insights into all of the above and how comedians are surviving the pandemic are right here! Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending The Dig on Netflix, Mike Nichols: A Life, Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder and on PBS’s American Masters, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Marian Anderson.

Path Points of Interest:

Dwayne Perkins

Dwayne Perkins on Instagram

Dwayne Perkins Books
Hot Chocolate for the Mind

Zombie Run

Comedy Special Take Note

Dwayne Perkins on Drybar

The Dig on Netflix

Mike Nichols: A Life

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

PBS American Masters: Laura Ingalls Wilder

American Masters: Marian Anderson - The Whole World In Her Hands

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Leading Ladies, Activists, STEMinists,  Hometown Heroes, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

Encyclopedia Womannica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Cinthia Pimentel, Grace Lynch, and Maddy Foley. Special thanks to Shira Atkins, Edie Allard, and Luisa Garbowit.

We are offering free ad space on Wonder Media Network shows to organizations working towards social justice. For more information, please email Jenny at jenny@wondermedianetwork.com.

Thank you to Care/of for sponsoring this episode of Encyclopedia Womannica! Visit takecareof.com and use the code ENCYCLOPEDIA for 50% off your first Care/of order.

Follow Wonder Media Network:

• Website
• Instagram
• Twitter

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden. A public concert by opera singer Marian Anderson at Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday. The World’s Fair in New York. All three events took place in 1939 and are at the center of crime novelist Frankie Bailey’s next novel.

The historical thriller, “A Penny Struck by Lightning,” takes the reader into the world of jazz in New York City at the height of the Great Depression and on the cusp of World War II. The protagonist, a Pullman porter, is an undercover FBI agent whose investigation leads him into the city’s speakeasies and nightclubs (where he eventually bumps into Billie Holiday at the Café Society).

Bailey is the author of the Lizzie Stuart mystery series as well as of several police procedural novels that feature detective Hannah McCabe. She is also a professor of criminal justice at the University at Albany, SUNY.

Learn more about Bailey’s work.

Music: "The Best Thing for You," by Colleen Pratt with the Empire Jazz Orchestra.

Photo credit: "Portrait of Billie Holiday and Mister, Downbeat, New York, N.Y., ca. June 1946," by William P. Gottlieb. Source: The Library of Congress

Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.

Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the series.

Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.