18 Facts About Anne Brown

Anne Brown settled in Norway in 1948 and later became a Norwegian citizen.

Anne Brown's father was the grandson of a slave and her mother's parents were of black, Cherokee Indian, and Scottish-Irish origins.

Anne Brown trained at Morgan College and then applied to the Peabody Institute, but was rejected from the school due to her race.

Anne Brown was admitted to Juilliard when she was 16, becoming the first African-American vocalist to attend there.

Anne Brown studied singing with Lucia Dunham and was awarded Juilliard's Margaret McGill scholarship when she was 20 years old.

Anne Brown learned that George Gershwin was going to compose an opera about African Americans in South Carolina.

Anne Brown decided to write him a letter, which led to Gershwin's secretary calling her to come and sing for him.

Anne Brown toured Europe as a concert artist from 1942 to 1948.

Anne Brown said that she left the United States because of continued racial prejudice.

In 1948, Anne Brown settled in Oslo, Norway and became a Norwegian citizen after marrying skier Thorleif Schjelderup, a medalist at the 1948 Winter Olympics.

Anne Brown was her third husband, and like her previous marriages, their union ended in divorce.

Anne Brown had a second daughter, Vaar Inga, born in 1951, with Schjelderup, who adopted Paula.

Anne Brown continued working as a professional musician into the 1950s, mostly working as a concert singer and recitalist.

On October 9,1980, Brown was interviewed for an article written by James A Standifier called, "Reminiscences of Black Musicians".

Anne Brown was a guest of honor at the gala opening of the Oslo Opera House on April 12,2008.

Anne Brown resided in Oslo up until her death in 2009 at age ninety-six.

In 1998, Anne Brown received the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America from the Peabody Institute, the institution that had denied her music education 70 years earlier.

Anne Brown was made an honorary citizen of Baltimore in 1999.