This week marks both the 80th anniversary of Marian Anderson's historic Lincoln Memorial Concert in Washington, D.C. on April 9, 1939 and her death on April 8, 1993. As part of this week's commemorations of the legendary contralto, the New York Public Radio Archives is making available a recently acquired, rarely heard interview.

On June 19, 1974, Marian Anderson was a guest of Robert Sherman on The Listening Room, WQXR's seminal program of recorded music, in-studio performance, and conversation with some of the world's finest musicians.  In a wide-ranging discussion, Ms. Anderson talks about her early life, her career in Europe in the 1930s, her historic 1955 debut at New York's Metropolitan Opera, her singing of spirituals, and other subjects. 

At the conclusion of the hour-long interview, host Robert Sherman appears clearly moved by the combined experience of speaking with Ms. Anderson, the impact of her recordings, and the power of her presence. He observes:

"You provide not only beautiful music, but you provide inspiration as a person.  And they come together in a very rare way."

The Marian Anderson interview with Robert Sherman originally aired in 1974, but appears here in a rebroadcast on June 19, 1993, part of the Marian Anderson Tribute episode of The Listening Room. Portions of the broadcast recording presented here have been edited for streaming on the web in an effort to respect the copyright protections on the published music played throughout the program; the interview itself is presented in its entirety.

Additional archival recordings related to this article:

The Listening Room show page

Today in History: Marian Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial

Marian Anderson in conversation with George Shirley