The Philadelphia Orchestra gave a ‘stunning’ musical tribute to Marian Anderson, but there’s still more to do

Marian Anderson took a star turn this weekend at the Kimmel Center. On Saturday afternoon, the home of the Philadelphia Orchestra was renamed in honor of the South Philadelphia-born contralto and civil rights hero, who died in 1993. The celebration continued that night with the Great Stages Gala. Queen Latifah hosted the first-ever concert in Marian Anderson Hall in a program with the orchestra, conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, sopranos Angel Blue and Latonia Moore, actress and singer Audra McDonald, and pianist Marcus Roberts. The Inquirer’s Peter Dobrin and Elizabeth Wellington attended. Here’s what they thought.

Peter: It was fun sitting across the aisle from you, Elizabeth. It was a great night for the city — maybe it wasn’t a cross-section of Philadelphia, but it was certainly more diverse and more representative than any other night at the Philadelphia Orchestra that I can remember.

Elizabeth: Peter, it’s always fun to see you out and about and let me tell you, you were spiffy in your fabulous tux and spit-shined shoes. Saturday night was a wonderful night of sparkle and excitement, marking a historic first — one of the nation’s preeminent concert halls named after a Black woman. Rarely are public buildings named after Black women, so this is so very exciting.

Peter: I am really amortizing the cost of that thrift-store tux from, like, 25 years ago. I’m grateful for any chance to hear Audra McDonald, whose “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught” from South Pacific felt packed with meaning given the astonishing staying power of racism. And the orchestra’s fruitful relationship with composer Valerie Coleman deepened yet again with the premiere of Fanfare for Marian. It wasn’t what I was expecting — more bracing than lyrical. I anticipated a little more zip from Queen Latifah, whose delivery by reading the teleprompter seemed, well, a little flat. Am I wrong?

Elizabeth: Audra McDonald’s performance was amazing. I wasn’t familiar with that particular Rodgers and Hammerstein show and was unaware of the song and was awed with the lyrics that spelled out how racism is ingested, demonstrated, and learned behavior. It was incredibly powerful. The fact that the song was so controversial is proof that people of that era knew they were choosing to be hateful. I could only imagine what it was like for Marian Anderson to sing “You’ve got to be taught hate and fear” in the 1950s, a decade before the fight for civil rights would happen in earnest, and apply it to her own circumstances. Phenomenal.

As far as Queen Latifah as the emcee, she was a great choice for the show on paper. But I agree with you, her delivery was flat and uninspired. You can’t pull soul from a teleprompter.

To see the footage of Anderson’s performance of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 and then hear Latonia Moore’s rendition at the newly named Marian Anderson Hall was a stunning reminder of how far we’ve come in the struggle for civil rights and how far we still have to go. It was fitting that it was the first performance of the evening. Were you moved?

Peter: That was a beautifully constructed sequence. The non sequitur that struck me was when Queen Latifah talked about the orchestra’s commitment to diversity and what it meant to Marian Anderson as a girl to see someone of her own race playing piano. Latifah used the phrase “If you can see it, you can be it.” But there is just a small handful of Black musicians in the Philadelphia Orchestra, so the phrase rang false. It is absolutely true that the orchestra has put Black conductors, composers, and soloists front and center in the past few seasons, and the ensemble membership is diverse in many other ways. But how much do you think it matters that an orchestra in a majority-Black city has so few Black members?

Elizabeth: I think it matters tremendously. Without Black people in prominent positions in places where they were once excluded — like the orchestra — that proclamation rings as hollow as an empty bowling ball, nothing more than lip service. That’s what I meant about not being able to pull soul from the teleprompter. You would think that someone in Latifah’s camp would have done a bit more research so this artist ― so beloved for preaching authenticity and unity in the Black community — wouldn’t come off as disingenuous at best and, at worst, uninformed.

But like most of today’s post-George Floyd events that celebrate the contributions of Black Americans long overlooked, the Great Stages Gala and concert in Marian Anderson Hall was as much about moving forward as it was looking back. It’s about the Kimmel Center’s commitment to the future of diversity. Given the Philadelphia Orchestra’s track record, do you have faith that change is truly on the horizon at the Philadelphia Orchestra?

Peter: The Philadelphia Orchestra announced its big Cultural Diversity Initiative in 1991 — more than three decades ago. There were some gains from that, like the annual Martin Luther King Jr. concert that continues. But somehow, bringing more of the enormous Black talent out there into the ranks of the ensemble never happened. But yes, this concert was progress. It was moving to see that audience ― Black and white, gay and straight, young and not-so-young. It was, however, one night. I am interested in seeing how the orchestra and Kimmel can extend the message this name change promises. Any ideas?

Elizabeth: The first thing that comes to mind is reaching out to the Marian Anderson Historical Society & Museum to perhaps come up with programs cohosted by the two institutions. Ms. Anderson is a daughter of Philadelphia and her roots, like many Black people in Philadelphia, are in the city’s historic Seventh Ward. There needs to be more of a nod to that part of her history at Marian Anderson Hall because it’s just 10 blocks away. Of course, I’d like to see more Black musicians in the orchestra and more new compositions that celebrate America’s rich diversity and less re-imaginings of problematic pieces like Madame Butterfly. It’s time we retire stories that peddle in stereotypes and tropes for the sake of nostalgia, and embrace new stories.

This is why I loved Marcus Roberts’ piano rendition of the jazzy gospel song “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.” The piano sounded like bells. I didn’t even know that was musically possible. Part of me wishes a vocal soloist accompanied Roberts, so we could appreciate the richness of the lyrics — When my feeble life is o’er, Time for me to be no more, guide me gently, safely o’er. To Thy kingdom’s shore, to Thy shore — that speaks to the African American experience of faith in the face of insurmountable circumstances, part of Marian Anderson’s legacy.

Marian Anderson was such a versatile performer and because of my lack of classical music training, this was the first time I’d heard anything from Verdi’s La forza del destino or Puccini’s “Vissi d’arte.” What do these pieces say about Anderson’s breadth, and what was her place in the American music scene?

Peter: Someone once said that hearing her voice was like listening to 10 cellos. In her day she was a household name, and she’s still worshiped by aficionados. But I think about anyone under the age of 50, and especially children, walking by the Kimmel today, seeing the name, and having no idea who she was or that she was Black. That’s why this renaming is only a promise. If her story is going to be an effective signal that everyone is welcome at the Kimmel Center, her image must have a big presence there, too. Maybe the Marian Anderson sculpture planned at the Academy of Music needs to be sited right out front at Broad and Spruce — in place of that off-putting black cube with the video screens.

I like your idea of a bigger role for the Marian Anderson Historical Society & Museum. There’s something so emotional about being in her onetime home — it somehow collapses the distance in time and puts you in her presence. Do you think Philadelphia might be finally ready to take full ownership of one of its biggest hometown heroes?

Elizabeth: It’s possible. But the only way we will get there is if all of the entities that play a role in Marian Anderson’s legacy — the Marian Anderson House, the University of Pennsylvania that holds many of her photos and artifacts, and now the Kimmel Center’s Marian Anderson Hall — work together in the spirit of Marian Anderson to preserve her legacy.