Экзаменационный (типовой) материал ОГЭ / Английский / 13-19 задание / 67

         Marian Anderson was born in 1897 in Philadelphia. At the age of six, she was singing solos in front of the congregation of the Union Baptist Church. Her clear, strong voice moved the audience, and everyone who heard her knew that the child had great talent.
         Marian loved to sing. She hoped that she would be able to take singing lessons one day. But Marian’s family was poor. When her father died, the family was overwhelmed with sadness and financial problems. Marian said she could quit school and start working instead, but her mother wouldn’t even listen to that. She wanted her children to get an education.
         The members of Marian’s church started a collection and suggested that Marian perform at various events and make money from her singing. Marian was proud to be able to make enough money to help her family. Marian even managed to save enough money for singing lessons. But when the music school didn’t take her as a student because she was African American, Marian was deeply hurt. Her mother continued to encourage her, and Marian decided to take private lessons. She had an appointment to sing for the well-known
teacher Giuseppe Boghetti, who was very impressed. He said that after studying with him, Marian would be able to sing for kings and queens!
         Mr. Boghetti taught Marian to sing opera. In 1925 he encouraged her to enter a contest. Although there were three hundred people taking part in the contest, Marian won. She became a guest soloist with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. She finally felt confident enough to sing anywhere. However, when Marian tried to sing at the best concert halls in the country, she was turned away because she was African American.
         Disappointed, Marian decided to go to Europe, where she hoped to be judged on her talent and not her race. During the two years she spent in Europe, Marian was made to feel very welcome. She won the admiration of Europeans in city after city. The famous conductor Arturo Toscanini told her, “A voice like yours is heard only once in a hundred years.”
         The overwhelming success Marian had in Europe made new opportunities available to her in the United States. Following her return from Europe, she became the first African American to be named a permanent member of the Metropolitan Opera Company. She also became the first African American to perform at the White House. Through her hard work and positive attitude, Marian Anderson was able to make the most of her talent and to open the door for other African American performers.
         Marian Anderson’s life achievements were recognized by many honors, including numerous prizes, medals and awards. She was also awarded 24 honorary doctoral degrees from various American universities. Marian Anderson died in 1992 at the age of 96.

13. Marian’s parents were musicians.