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When Marian Sang
"When Marian Sang" is an award-winning illustrated book that tells the true story of Marian Anderson, an American contralto.
OOPS MN has been granted rights from Scholastic publishing to create a filmed reading with interspersed recorded performances highlighting the musical moments throughout the book.
Quote from
the Author
Meet the Artists
Mikalia Bradberry
as Narrator and Performer
Mezzo-soprano Mikalia Bradberry is a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota with a M.M. in Vocal Performance. Ms. Bradberry was born in Oklahoma City, OK and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Abilene Christian University. Bradberry prepared the roles of Carmen in Bizet’s Le Tragedie de Carmen and Madame de Croissey in Poulenc’s Les Dialogues des Carmélites for the University of Minnesota’s opera program for the '19-'20 season. She also prepared the role of Lucretia of Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia with An Opera Theatre in the spring of 2020 and recently performed the role of Nicole in their most recent work, In Media Res. Ms. Bradberry premiered in Lyric Opera of the North’s newest submission to the Decameron Opera Coalition, The Place, October 2021. Ms. Bradberry is the recent winner of St. Croix Valley Opera’s vocal competition of 2021. She is a former student of Dr. Julie Pruett, Adriana Zabala and is a current student of Victoria Vargas.
Carson Rose Schneider
as Collaborative Pianist
Dr. Carson Rose Schneider is a versatile pianist who works as a duo partner, coach, music director, and rehearsal pianist with opera companies, chamber groups, and choirs. Her performing career has taken her around the United States and abroad. Based in the Twin Cities Metro Area, she has collaborated with companies around the Midwest including Lyric Opera of the North, AOT, Skylark Opera Theatre, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Lakes Area Music Festival, OOPS MN, Bay View Music Festival, AOT, Out of the Box Opera, and Really Spicy Opera. Up next, she is returning to Skylark Opera Theatre for Eugene Onegin, her third production as Music Director and Pianist. In addition to an active performing life, she has a home recording and coaching studio called Carson Rose Studios, is a staff pianist at the University of Minnesota, and is the pianist and choir accompanist at Union Congregational Church in Elk River, MN. Dr. Schneider graduated with her D.M.A. in collaborative piano and coaching from the University of Minnesota in 2017, where she studied with Dr. Timothy Lovelace.
Marian Anderson
American Contralto
Marian Anderson was a renowned American contralto who performed throughout the U.S. and Europe between 1925 and 1965. In 1939 during the era of racial segregation, the Daughters of the American Revolution banned Anderson from performing in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. because of the color of her skin. With the aid of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Anderson performed a critically acclaimed open-air concert on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, on the Lincoln Memorial steps at the capital. She sang before an integrated crowd of more than 75,000 people in pre-Civil Rights America. Anderson also became the first African-American allowed to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. Anderson was awarded the first Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, the Congressional Gold Medal in 1977, the National Medal of Arts in 1986, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991.
Pam Muñoz-Ryan
Author
Pam Muñoz Ryan is an American author and the 2018 U.S. nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. She is the author of ECHO, a Newbery Honor book and the recipient of the Kirkus Prize. She has written over forty books, including the novels ESPERANZA RISING, BECOMING NAOMI LEÓN, RIDING FREEDOM, PAINT THE WIND, THE DREAMER, ECHO, and Mañanaland. She is the author recipient of the National Education Association’s Civil and Human Rights Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for Multicultural Literature, and is twice the recipient of the Pura Belpré Medal and the Willa Cather Award. She was born and raised in Bakersfield, California, (formerly Pam Bell) holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from San Diego State University.
Brian Selznick
Illustrator
Born and raised in New Jersey, Brian Selznick cannot remember a time when he was not drawing and making things. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Art and Design with the intention of becoming a set designer for the theater, but a job designing window displays at Eeyore's Children's Bookstore in New York City changed his mind. He has illustrated both novels and picture books for other writers, including the Sibert Honor books WHEN MARIAN SANG by Pam Munoz Ryan and WALT WHITMAN: WORDS FOR AMERICA by Barbara Kerley. His illustrations for Barbara Kerley's THE DINOSAURS OF WATERHOUSE HAWKINS won a Caldecott Honor Award in 2002; and in 2008, his groundbreaking and breathtaking THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET was awarded the Caldecott Medal.
Floyd Anderson
Marcia Aubineau
Corinna and Thomas Bakken
James Barnett
Kristen Blue
Lee Bynum
Phinehas Bynum
Carrie Cavadini
Susan Chandler
Nicholas Davis
David Drueding
Chip and Vicki Emery
Tracey Engleman
Julie Ingleman
Dale Johnson
Patricia Kent
Dale Kruse
Ladyslipper Ensemble
Eric McEnaney
Harvey McLain
Colleen Meier
Bondo Nyembwe
Colleen O'Shaughnessy
Mary Pohlad
Teonna Polk
Lisa Schoen
Kristi and Mark Specker
Elena Stabile
Susan Stabile
David Radamés Toro
Kimberly Walsh
KrisAnne Weiss
Eileen and Marsh Williams
Luke Williams
Lindsay Woodward
This project was made possible because of our incredible sponsors:
With special thanks to
Priscilla Bruce
Susan Chandler
Katherine Condon
Chip and Vicki Emery
Tracey Engleman
Denyce Graves
Reid Kruger
Beth Nault-Warner
Brian Newhouse
Tina O'Malley
Josh Sundby
Holly Streekstra
Ryan Taylor
David Radamés Toro
Victoria Vargas
The Project
Quote from
the Book
The filmed reading and performance premiered for the public via YouTube on Saturday, April 9th, 2022 at 7:00PM CST to commemorate the eighty-third anniversary of Ms. Anderson’s historical Lincoln Memorial concert.
A major component of this project was creating materials for teachers and parents to facilitate meaningful discussions about the book’s themes. The complimentary education materials, including printable worksheets are available for download. OOPS will also be gifting 25 copies of the book to schools and organizations across Minnesota.
We encourage educators and those with elementary aged children to use these materials and share them with others so that they may do the same!