Coming
September
2026Voice of a CenturyThe Life and Artistry of Marian Anderson
By Anthony Tommasini
Series edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.From the New York Times’s former chief classical music critic, a tribute to one of the great singers of modern times and a national treasure who broke racial barriers.
“As a singer who’s had the great privilege of knowing Marian Anderson some, and as a Black artist deeply invested in how her story is told, I was moved by Anthony Tommasini’s deeply human portrait of this towering figure. The book reveals not only Anderson’s extraordinary artistry and dignity, but as important, the vulnerability, sacrifice, and quiet strength behind her public image. At the same time, it paints a vivid picture of the cultural and political world she also helped transform. This is an important and thoughtful contribution to our shared American story. I am so grateful it exists.”
Denyce Graves-Montgomery
Grammy Award–winning mezzo-soprano
“A masterful read. No one else writing about music can match Anthony Tommasini’s ability to describe the indescribable, with language so vivid one can almost hear the notes in each sentence. He honors Marian Anderson’s singular career, affirming her place as so much more than one astonishing concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial. It’s a story of sacrifice, ambition, justice, and fortitude. I think it’s the book he was born to write.”
Jeanine Tesori
two-time Tony Award–winning composer
About
Anthony Tommasini is the former chief classical music critic for the New York Times (2000-2021) and the author of four books. Born in Brooklyn, he grew up in Long Island, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1970, then earned a Master of Music degree form the Yale School of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Boston University.
He taught music at Emerson College in Boston and offered non-fiction writing workshops at Wesleyan University and Brandeis University. His interest in the work of the composer and critic Virgil Thomson culminated with his book Virgil Thomson: Composer on the Aisle, published in 1997 by W. W. Norton & Company. Robert Craft, in the New York Review of Books, deemed the biography “indispensable to anyone concerned with American cultural history of the period.”
His activites as a pianist include two recordings on the Northeastern Records label of Thomson’s music, titled Portraits and Self-Portraits, and Mostly About Love: Songs and Vocal Works. Both were funded in part through grants he was awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In November 2018 Penguin Press released his book The Indispensable Composers: A Personal Guide. Kirkus described it as “a spirited musical compendium to the best of the best.”
His latest book, to be released by Penguin Press in September 2026, is Voice of a Century: The Life and Artistry of Marian Anderson.
Prior to joining the Times, he covered classical music and theater for the Boston Globe. He lives in Manhattan with his husband, Benjamin McCommon, a psychiatrist.
“Voice of a Century is an invaluable addition to our understanding of a towering figure in American cultural history. Marian Anderson broke barriers through the invincible force of her artistry, and it is Tommasini’s focus on that artistry that distinguishes this fascinating account of her life. As a vastly knowledgeable and discerning critic, Tommasini offers fresh insights into Anderson’s interpretations of lieder, concert works, spirituals, and arias, in the context of her time.”
Renée Fleming
National Medal of Arts recipient and five-time Grammy Award winner
“Marian Anderson was a titanic figure, an unwilling revolutionary who acted her role with flawless nobility. Anthony Tommasini, a keen critic and sensitive chronicler, captures the complexity of Anderson’s story in buoyant, communicative prose. The statuesque presence in front of the Lincoln Memorial has never seemed more human.”
Alex Ross
author of The Rest Is Noise and Wagnerism
The Life and Artistry of Marian Anderson, a Starred Kirkus Review (June 1, 2026)
“An invaluable contribution to our understanding of a great artist.”
Upcoming Events
September 18, 2026The Metropolitan Opera,
List Hall
Author Talk with Denyce Graves
November 12, 2026Free Library of
Philadelphia
The Author Event Series,
In Conversation with Anthony McGill
Publisher’s Weekly
“A fitting, fulsome tribute to a lesser-known American great.”
“Voice of a Century is a book that I wish had been written years ago, so I could know Marian Anderson as I know her now. The stories are intimate, and Tommasini brings a fresh perspective on how important Anderson was to all musicians and Black classical musicians specifically. It is an inspiring and personal look at Anderson and how she changed the world.”
Anthony McGill
principal clarinet, New York Philharmonic
“The great Marian Anderson was a consummate musician who sang all styles of classical music and always closed her concerts with Negro spirituals. Anthony Tommasini highlights her superior musical acumen. After hearing Ms. Anderson in recital, Toscanini proclaimed her singing an experience ‘one is privileged to hear only once in a hundred years.’ Tommasini will certainly help you understand why.”
Everett McCorvery
conductor, founder of the American Spiritual Ensemble
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