A group of Seattle women, all trained musicians, formed Seattle’s Ladies Musical Club in 1891. In 1900, the club inaugurated its International Concert Series, which ran for nearly a century. Famed African American contralto Marian Anderson was among the many well-known performers who came to Seattle under the auspices of the club.
Although Anderson had won awards and acclaim, racial prejudice stymied her early career in the United States. She toured widely in Europe in the 1930s with great success. Impresario Sol Hurok became her manager in 1935 and convinced her to return to the US.
On March 1, 1938, Anderson gave a concert at Seattle’s Metropolitan Theatre to an enthusiastic crowd of 2000 people. The program included arias and songs by Handel, Schubert, and other classical composers as well as a group of spirituals. Anderson was accompanied by pianist and vocal coach Kosti Vehanen, whom she had met while touring in Europe in the early 1930s.
This appears to be a proof sheet of the actual program sheet, intended to be smaller and printed on both sides.
Caption information sources: Ladies Musical Club website; Seattle Daily Times, March 2, 1938; Wikipedia.
Physical Description: 1 program (2 p.) ; 7.75 x 17 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Credit: MOHAI, Ladies Musical Club Records, 1981.7337.33.1
