Opera pioneer Grace Bumbry died May 7, 2023 in a Viennese hospital at the age of 86. While an official cause of death was not revealed, she suffered a stroke last October on a flight from Vienna to New York City.
A mezzo-soprano, Bumbry made history when she became the first Opera signer of colour to perform on the stage of the Bayreuth Festival in Germany in a new production of “Tannhäuser”. She spent over 30 years performing on stages around the world that included 216 performances on the stage of The Metropolitan Opera.
In 1958 she was among the winners of the Met National Council Auditions; giving her Paris recital performance later that same year. She returned to Paris in 1960 to make her debut on the Opera stage as Amneris in “Aida”.
Her performance in Germany resulted in an invitation to the White House by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy for a performance and debuts on the stages of Carnegie Hall, the Royal Opera in London, and the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy.
Other accomplishments include being a Kennedy Center Honor, is a member of the St. Louis Walk of Fame, was presented with the Commandeur des Arts et Lettres by the French Government, is a Grammy Award winner, and is a member of the Opera Hall of Fame.
The daughter of a railroad porter and a school teacher, Grace Melzia Bumbry was born in St. Louis, Missouri on January 4, 1937. Like many singers, Grace began her musical journey singing in the church. She was a talent contest in high school which included a scholarship to the St. Louis Institute of Music but she was denied entry due to her skin colour. After appearing on “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts” she went to Boston University College of Fine Arts and Northwestern University.
She later became a teacher and mentor at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California.
Her interest in performing opera came after attending a performance by contralto Marian Anderson – the first woman of colour to be a member of The Metropolitan Opera.
Bumbry was among the class of performers who made their mark on the opera stage; along with Leontyne Price, Shirley Verett, George Shirley, Reri Grist, and Martina Arroyo.
Married and divorced, Bumbry had no children.
Grace Bumbry (partial) discography:
“Grace Bumbry: Famous Opera Arias”
“Grace Bumbry: A Portrait”
“Giuseppe Verdi: Aida”
“Geroges Bizet: Carmen”
“Grace Bumbry: Arien von Saint-Saens und Verdi”
“Grace Bumbry: The Art of Grace Bumbry:
“Grace Bumbry: With Love”
“Grace Bumbry: Lieder & Arias”
“Bellini: Norma”
“Grace Bumbry: Voices of our Time”
“Grace Bumbry: Zigeunerlieder”
“Grace Bumbry: Verdi-Arien”
“Grace Bumbry: Early Recordings: Oratorio, Opera, Lieder”
“Giuseppe Verdi: Don Carlo”
“Igor Stravinsky: El Amor Brujo”
“Grace Brumby: (Mezzo) Soprano Volume 1”
“Grace Brumby: (Mezzo) Soprano Volume 2”
“Giuseppe Verdi: Enani”
“Richard Wagner: Tannhauser”
“Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth”
“Christoph Eillibald Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice”
“Grace Bumbry: Natalie”
“Mozart: Requiem”
“The Metropolitan Opera: Centennial Gala”
Feature photo credit: Kennedy Center honorees 2009 WhiteHouse Photo crop.jpg