Singer Marian, the first African American to perform at the Met

As a detective trying to solve the mystery of the crossword clue ‘Singer Marian, the first African American to perform at the Met’, I would start by breaking down the clue into its component parts. ‘Singer Marian‘ suggests that the answer is a person’s name, while ‘the first African American to perform at the Met‘ narrows down the possibilities to a specific historical figure.

From there, I would draw on my knowledge of music history and racial barriers in the performing arts to make an educated guess. Historical research reveals that Marian Anderson was indeed the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City in 1955. As a celebrated contralto singer praised for her rich, warm tone and technical skill, Anderson made history with her iconic performance at the Met, paving the way for many other black artists to follow in her footsteps. Therefore, I would confidently input ‘ANDERSON’ into the crossword puzzle, feeling good that my detective skills led me to the correct answer.