"[5][6] Most notably, she is credited with being the first African American woman to play the title role of Verdi's Aida in a European staging of the opera.

[10] Notably, she is credited with encouraging Marion Anderson, one of the most celebrated opera singers of the 20th century, to pursue a career in classical music.

[1] Florence Cole was born on June 17, 1890, in Detroit, Michigan, to a family with deep roots in music and the performing arts.

Her mother, Sadie Chandler Cole, was a mezzo-soprano and civil rights activist, who had gained considerable recognition as a member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers.

[4] In an interview in 1930, Talbert further revealed that her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Hatfield Chandler, was a patron of music who had founded the first "colored" Baptist choir in Cincinnati, Ohio.

[14] Notably, she accompanied Madam Emma Azalia Hackley, a renowned black soprano and founder of the Colored Women's League, at a concert in Los Angeles at age sixteen.

As a result, she continued her voice training under mentors like Oscar Saenger, John B. Miller, and Herman Devries.

[4] In 1915, Florence left college during her senior year and started touring with Hahn's Jubilee Singers all over the U.S. and Canada.

[13] Through her work with Hahn's Jubilee Singers, she also had the opportunity to interact with eminent musicians like Noble Sissle.

[4][5] That same year, she was featured on the cover of Half Century Magazine, which began publication in August 1916 in Chicago, in recognition of her work.

[1][4] Then from 1918 to 1925, she toured across the U.S., receiving critical acclaim in local newspapers and contemporary publications such as The Chicago Defender and the Competitor.

One noteworthy collaboration was when she performed Handel's Messiah with the Howard University Choral Society under the direction of Lulu Vere Childers in 1919.

[5][8] During her two years in Europe, some of her other teachers included Sylvo Puccetti, Mario Bellini, and Marcel Picheran of Opera Comique.

She is credited with being the first black woman to play Aida with an all white, European professional company to receive critical acclaim and success, that too, in Europe.

[5] After three performances of Aida, Talbert continued doing concerts in Rome, Southern Italy, and Paris, which were also received with critical acclaim.

Simultaneously, she also opened her own studio to teach students privately in Memphis, Tennessee, where she eventually settled.

[5] During her career as a music educator, she mentored several voice artists, who went on to become renowned classical musicians in their own right.

[18] Throughout her career, Talbert was an active member of the African American community in addition to her contributions as a performer, musician, and music educator.

[5][4] Talbert was widely celebrated within the African American musical community for her talent, receiving titles such as "Queen of the Concert Stage."