American soprano Anne Wiggins Brown (born 1915) created the role of Bess in George Gershwin's folk opera Porgy and Bess in 1935. She was also a radio and concert star.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she has lived in, she trained at Morgan College and then was continued on to the esteemed New Institute of Musical Art (now know as the Julliard School of Music ) in New York. After her appearance as the first Bess, she appeared in the Broadway play Mamba's Daughters , and in the film Rhapsody in Blue. She appeared in various revivals of Porgy as well and toured as a concert artist from 1942—48 when she settled in Oslo, Norway. She continued working as porfessional musician and in 1950 productions of Menotti's The Medium and The Telephone .
References
The Music of Black Americans: A History. Eileen Southern. W. W. Norton & Company; 3rd edition. ISBN 0393971414