Horne was innate around Bradford, Pennsylvania. Her parents moved to Long Beach, California, near Los Angeles, when she was 11. She exposed voice at a University of Southern California and participated in Lotte Lehmann's vocal classes.

Horne's number one major agent engagement was within 1954, whilst she dubbed a voice of Dorothy Dandridge in the film Carmen Jones. when much as that point, she experienced worked as a background singer for many TV sitcoms, also as recorded covers of popular songs of the early 50s. She mass produced her Los Angeles debut a equivalent month whenever she performed a role of Hata in The Bartered Bride with the Los Angeles Guild Opera.

Her number one major breakthrough come after her cantabile ability was recognized by Igor Stravinsky; her operatic career began when he invited her to perform in the 1956 Vienna festival. She remained within Europe for trine seasons singing for Oper Gelsenkirchen. She wwhen extremely acclaimed for her performance as Marie within Berg's Wozzeck at the inauguration of Gelsenkirchen's new opera house on May 22, 1960. A second one of Horne's breakthroughs occurred around 1969 when you took the performance of Rossini's Le Siège de Corinthe at Lthe Scala, when Horne received a remarkable mid-work vii microscopic standing ovation.

Inside 1964, she returned to the United States to pop up around Wozzeck at a San Francisco Opera.

For numerous years, Horne was associated by using a Australian soprano Joan Sutherland. It number one performed together around the concert version of Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda at Carnegie Hall in February, 1961. Inside 1965, it were paired once more around the performance of Rossini's Semiramide with the Opera Company of Boston.

Horne mass produced her debut at a Royal Opera House, Covent Garden around October 1964 as Marie in Wozzeck. Her La Scala debut was as Jocasta around Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex on March 13, 1969. Horne manufactured her debut at a Metropolitan Opera inside 197When Adalgisa in Bellini's Norma with Joan Sutherland in the title role. She thenceforth appeared regularly at a Met, opening a 1972-1973 year when Carmen. Inside 1984, she sang a name part of Handel's opera seria Rinaldo, a 1st Handel opera ever performed at the Met.

Although better known for her bel canto and opera seria roles, Horne also performed tremendously Western music, each contemporary music, by composers such as William Bolcom, and traditional popular songs.

Horne was married from either 1960 to 1979 to the conductor Henry Lewis.

Horne retired from either a concert stage inside 1999 by owning a recital at the Chicago Symphony Center. She however once in a while performs at pop concerts (last by using cabaret star Barbara Cook), her voice undimmed by age. Horne has too established a Marilyn Horne Foundation to help fund music education.

Several music critics assume Horne to become one of a greatest singers in the history of opera. She is seen when a prototypic Our contries singer; brisk, effective, earnest, technically locate & there are no "diva" traits, maybe simply missing the touch of the irony & darkness of spirit of old globe singers.