Classical Notes: March 16, 2009 Archive

R. I. P. Anne Wiggins Brown: Gershwin's Original Bess

Posted at 10:05 AM on March 16, 2009 by Rex Levang

It's being reported that Anne Wiggins Brown, the original Bess in Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess," has died at age 96. That first production took place in 1935.

Here's information on her life, from Afrovoices.com.

Brown married a Norwegian skier in 1948, settled in that country, and died in Oslo last Friday. English-language obituaries haven't appeared yet, though they're bound to. But here's one in Norwegian, for those who can read it.