Editing Marian Anderson (section)

=== The Metropolitan Opera ===
On January 7, 1955, Anderson became the first African American to sing with the [[Metropolitan Opera]] in New York. At the invitation of director [[Rudolf Bing]], she sang the part of Ulrica in [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s ''[[Un ballo in maschera]]'' (opposite [[Zinka Milanov]], then [[Herva Nelli]], as Amelia).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.afrovoices.com/anderson.html | title = Marian Anderson Biography | work = Afrocentric Voices | first = Randye | last = Jones | access-date = February 12, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180615124317/http://www.afrovoices.com/anderson.html | archive-date = June 15, 2018 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Anderson later said about the evening, "The curtain rose on the second scene and I was there on stage, mixing the witch's brew. I trembled, and when the audience applauded and applauded before I could sing a note, I felt myself tightening into a knot." Although she never appeared with the company again, Anderson was named a permanent member of the Metropolitan Opera company. The following year, her autobiography, ''My Lord, What a Morning'', was published, and became a bestseller.<ref name="NYT" />