Marian Anderson Artistic Initiative

Launched in September 2024, the Marian Anderson Artistic Initiative celebrates the legendary contralto, civil rights icon, and Philadelphian through artistic presentations that honor her legacy. The Initiative showcases composers and artists who embody Ms. Anderson’s passion for increasing inclusivity, diversity, equity, and access in the performing arts, contributing to the advancement of a more representative art form.

Performances supported by the Marian Anderson Artistic Initiative during the 2024–25 season include the world premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Orchestral Suite from his opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones; William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 2 (“Song of a New Race”); the world premiere of Gabriela Lena Frank’s Picaflor; the first Philadelphia Orchestra subscription performances of Margaret Bonds’s The Montgomery Variations, inspired by events of the civil rights movement; the first Philadelphia Orchestra performances of Barbara Assiginaak’s Eko-Bmijwang (As Long in Time as the River Flows); and Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement.  

The Marian Anderson Artistic Initiative is supported in part by the Wyncote Foundation.

To learn more or to discuss how you might make your own contribution to the Marian Anderson Artistic Initiative, please contact Helen Radenkovic, managing director of philanthropic engagement, at 215.893.1819 or email us.