Grace Bumbry, who had one of the most distinguished operatic careers of the twentieth century, died on May 7, 2023, at the age of 86. Bumbry was the first African-American singer to appear at the Paris Opera and the Bayreuth Festival in Germany.
Advertisement
Born on January 4, 1937, Bumbry was a part of a pioneering generation of African-American opera and classical singers who helped pave the way for succeeding generations of African-American opera and concert singers.
She was also a versatile singer who not only played mezzo roles but also various soprano roles with great success.
In her prime, Bumbry possessed good agility and bel canto technique (see, for example, her versions of Verdi’s Don Carlo’s ‘Veil Song’ in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as her Ernani from the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1984).
On stage, she was known for her fiery nature and dramatic passion.
Advertisement
Much of her recorded legacy comes from her mezzo period, which includes at least two Carmens and three Amnerises (possibly her most frequently performed and recorded role onstage), Venus (with Anja Silja as Elisabeth, at the 1962 Bayreuth Festival), Eboli and Orfeo, and Verdi’s Messa da Requiem at the Royal Festival Hall in April 1964.
Among other distinctions, she received the UNESCO Award, the Academy of Music of the West’s Outstanding Alumna Award, Italy’s Premio Giuseppe Verdi, and the French government’s Commandeur des Arts et Lettres.
In 1972, she won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.
She was among those honored with the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors on December 6, 2009, for her contributions to the performing arts.
She was also inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
More recently, she had also become known as a recitalist and interpreter of lieder, and as a teacher.
She lived in Switzerland for many years before moving to Vienna, Austria, where she died on May 7, 2023.
Leave a Reply