Gershwin's Bess

From Baltimore to New York City, soprano Anne Wiggins Brown refuses to be silenced. Encouraged by her mother and undeterred by a father who insists on "sensible" ambitions, Anne pursues her passion for opera amid heartbreak, prejudice, and the trials of the world in the late 1920s-1930s.

In Gershwin's Bess, Anne perseveres and navigates the competitive world of Juilliard, a failed marriage, and the racism that denies her access to traditional stages. George Gershwin's plans to write an opera...