About
Famous for her performances with both the New York Philharmonic and the New York City Opera, this accomplished soprano vocalist is also remembered for her portrayal of Lady Thiang in the 1960 New York City Center production of Richard Rodgers' and Oscar Hammerstein's The King and I.
Before Fame
After training at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music and at New York's Juilliard School, she performed with a New York-based ensemble called the Sauter-Finegan jazz band.
Trivia
She sang the extremely high soprano line in The Tokens' early 1960s chart-topping song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
Family Life
Born to an Armenian family living in Detroit, Michigan, Anita Margaret Esgandarian relocated to New York City in her early adulthood.
Associated With
She and the renowned stage actor and vocalist John Raitt performed together on the 1962 Columbia Masterworks recording of the Jerome Kern musical Show Boat.
