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Anthony Tommasini — chief classical music critic for the New York Times from 2000 to 2021 — joins the Chuck Toddcast to discuss Voice of a Century: The Life and Artistry of Marian Anderson, out September 8th as part of the Significations series curated by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Tommasini didn't seek the project; he was asked to write it. His argument is that Anderson has been flattened into two civil rights milestones — the 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert before 75,000 people after the DAR barred her from Constitution Hall, and breaking the Met's color line — when the reason she mattered in the first place was the voice. He describes her extraordinary range, her European breakthrough (and the promoters who essentially whitewashed her race to sell her), her decision not to learn Italian because she knew American opera was closed to her, and the fact that had she been born thirty years later she'd have had an opera career.

The human material is remarkable: conscripted into a church choir at six, largely self-taught at piano, denied a hotel room and put up by Albert Einstein, who became a friend and pushed her to speak out more than she wanted to. Anderson's aim was to be a great artist, not an activist. They also get into the state of classical music in 2026 — why symphonies are so expensive to sustain, why live performance can't be replicated, and which American orchestra he'd send you to first.

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Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don’t directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact 

Timeline:

00:00 Anthony Tommasini joins the Chuck ToddCast

02:15 The origin of "Voice of a Century"

04:00 Marian Anderson as barrier breaker

06:15 Conscripted into the church choir at age six

09:00 Anderson became popular in Europe first

11:00 Promoters practically whitewashed her race to sell her

12:30 Why she never learned Italian

15:30 If born 30 years later, she'd have sung opera

18:30 Seeing Roland Hayes and the epiphany that followed

19:15 She wanted to be a great artist, not a civil rights activist

20:15 Denied a hotel room, invited to stay with Albert Einstein

22:30 Why she came back to America instead of staying in Europe

26:45 Ending every recital with negro spirituals

30:30 The Lincoln Memorial concert and the nerves behind it

37:00 What Anderson meant as a model for the Black community

38:45 Two Anderson recordings everyone should hear

44:30 The state of classical music in 2026

48:00 Why classical music has to be experienced live

53:45 The premiere symphony to attend in America

57:00 "Voice of a Century" is out September 8th

Anthony Tommasini &mdash; chief classical music critic for the New York Times from 2000 to 2021 &mdash; joins the Chuck Toddcast to discuss Voice of a Century: The Life and Artistry of Marian Anderson, out September 8th as part of the Significations series curated by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Tommasini didn't seek the project; he was asked to write it. His argument is that Anderson has been flattened into two civil rights milestones &mdash; the 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert before 75,000 people after the DAR barred her from Constitution Hall, and breaking the Met's color line &mdash; when the reason she mattered in the first place was the voice. He describes her extraordinary range, her European breakthrough (and the promoters who essentially whitewashed her race to sell her), her decision not to learn Italian because she knew American opera was closed to her, and the fact that had she been born thirty years later she'd have had an opera career.
The human material is remarkable: conscripted into a church choir at six, largely self-taught at piano, denied a hotel room and put up by Albert Einstein, who became a friend and pushed her to speak out more than she wanted to. Anderson's aim was to be a great artist, not an activist. They also get into the state of classical music in 2026 &mdash; why symphonies are so expensive to sustain, why live performance can't be replicated, and which American orchestra he'd send you to first.
Play ball and swing for the fences on FanDuel, an official partner of the MLB at https://FANDUEL.COM.&nbsp;
Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.
For free and unbiased Medicare help, dial (980) 734-3985 to speak with my trusted partner, Chapter, or go to <a href="http://askchapter.org/chuck">askchapter.org/chuck</a> <a href="http://askchapter.org/realdana">/</a>&nbsp; *Paid Partnership Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan&rsquo;s contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don&rsquo;t directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact<a href="http://medicare.gov/">&nbsp;</a>
Timeline:
00:00 Anthony Tommasini joins the Chuck ToddCast
02:15 The origin of "Voice of a Century"
04:00 Marian Anderson as barrier breaker
06:15 Conscripted into the church choir at age six
09:00 Anderson became popular in Europe first
11:00 Promoters practically whitewashed her race to sell her
12:30 Why she never learned Italian
15:30 If born 30 years later, she'd have sung opera
18:30 Seeing Roland Hayes and the epiphany that followed
19:15 She wanted to be a great artist, not a civil rights activist
20:15 Denied a hotel room, invited to stay with Albert Einstein
22:30 Why she came back to America instead of staying in Europe
26:45 Ending every recital with negro spirituals
30:30 The Lincoln Memorial concert and the nerves behind it
37:00 What Anderson meant as a model for the Black community
38:45 Two Anderson recordings everyone should hear
44:30 The state of classical music in 2026
48:00 Why classical music has to be experienced live
53:45 The premiere symphony to attend in America
57:00 "Voice of a Century" is out September 8th

The Chuck ToddCast is back! If you're looking for smart, no-nonsense political conversation, you've come to the right place. The Chuck ToddCast goes beyond the headlines, featuring conversations with top reporters, insiders, and newsmakers from D.C. to the heartland. No scripts, no spin—just real discussions about what’s shaping our politics and why it matters.

The Chuck ToddCast

Interview Only w/ Anthony Tommasini - Remembering The “Voice Of A Century”

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ef4dbb68-8396-4c28-9f59-b4bf01411df0/transcript