Anne Brown (August 9, 1912 -March 13, 2009)was an African American soprano who created the role of "Bess" in the original production of George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess in 1935. She was also a radio and concert singer. She settled in Norway in her 30s and later became a Norwegian citizen. 　　A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Annie Wiggins Brown was the daughter of Dr. Harry F. Brown, a physician, and his wife, the former Mary Allen Wiggins.Her father was the grandson of a slave and her mother's parents were of black, Cherokee Indian, and Scottish-Irish origins.She had three sisters.As a young child, Brown showed a great musical talent and according to family legend she could sing a perfect scale at just 9 months old. 　　In 1998, Anne Brown received the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America from the Peabody Institute, the institution that had denied her music education 70 years earlier. She was also made an honorary citizen of Baltimore in 1999. In 2000, she was awarded Norway's Council of Cultures Honorary Award.