Title: Helen Phillips
Content: She was the first black singer to perform with the Metropolitan Opera chorus (seven years before Marian Anderson's debut) —later saying she just "slipped in". Her agent had been told to send his best soprano as an extra for five performances of Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana" in 1947 — and though the stage manager was momentarily non-plussed by her race, did nothing to hamper her debut. Among the stories she recounted about her world travels was an episode on the Oriental Express, when she encountered two Russian soldiers "who started deriding the United States and talking about the plight of Negroes

Title: Camilla Williams
Content: in companionship with her accompanist Boris Bazala, from Bulgaria. Camilla Williams Camilla Ella Williams (October 18, 1919 – January 29, 2012) was an American operatic soprano who performed nationally and internationally. After studying with renowned teachers in New York City, she was the first African American to receive a regular contract with a major American opera company, the New York City Opera. She had earlier won honors in vocal competitions and the Marian Anderson Fellowship in 1943–44. In 1954 she became the first African American to sing a major role with the Vienna State Opera. She later also performed as

Title: Mattiwilda Dobbs
Content: Mattiwilda Dobbs Mattiwilda Dobbs (11 July 1925 – 8 December 2015) was an African-American coloratura soprano and one of the first black singers to enjoy a major international career in opera. She was the first black singer to perform at La Scala in Italy, the first black woman to receive a long-term performance contract at the Metropolitan Opera, New York and the first black singer to play a lead role at the San Francisco Opera. Dobbs was born in Atlanta, Georgia, one of six daughters of John and Irene Dobbs, who were leaders in the state's African-American community. She began

Title: Marian Anderson
Content: search throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Through the years Fisher built many outbuildings on the property, including an acoustic rehearsal studio he designed for his wife. The property remained Anderson's home for almost 50 years. On January 7, 1955, Anderson became the first African-American to perform with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. On that occasion, she sang the part of Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera" (opposite Zinka Milanov, then Herva Nelli, as Amelia) at the invitation of director Rudolf Bing. Anderson said later about the evening, "The curtain rose on the second scene and

Title: Camilla Williams
Content: Camilla Williams Camilla Ella Williams (October 18, 1919 – January 29, 2012) was an American operatic soprano who performed nationally and internationally. After studying with renowned teachers in New York City, she was the first African American to receive a regular contract with a major American opera company, the New York City Opera. She had earlier won honors in vocal competitions and the Marian Anderson Fellowship in 1943–44. In 1954 she became the first African American to sing a major role with the Vienna State Opera. She later also performed as a soloist with numerous European orchestras. As a concert

Question: Which American contralto was the first black singe to appear at the Metropolitan Opera?
Answer: Marian Anderson