Biography
Grace Melzia Bumbry (January 4, 1937 – May 7, 2023) was an American opera singer, considered one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, who also ventured to soprano roles. She belonged to a pioneering generation of African-American classical singers, led by Marian Anderson. She was recognized internationally when Wieland Wagner cast her for the 1961 Bayreuth Festival as Venus in Tannhäuser, the first black singer to appear at the festival.
Bumbry's voice was rich and dynamic, possessing a wide range, and was capable of producing a very distinctive plangent tone. In her prime, she also possessed good agility and bel canto technique, as for example her rendition of Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlo in the 1970s and 1980s. She was particularly noted for her fiery temperament and dramatic intensity on stage. Later, she also became known as a recitalist and interpreter of lieder, and as a teacher. From the late 1980s on, she concentrated her career in Europe, rather than in the United States. A long-time resident of Switzerland, she spent her last years in Vienna.
Filmography
all 17
Movies 11
self 11
TV Shows 6
Christmas in Vienna – Glanzlichter (2021)
Eine Stadt als Bühne - 100 Jahre Salzburger Festspiele (2020)
Pavarotti, Birth of a Pop Star (2017)
Classic Archive: Verdi - Messa da Requiem (2013)
The Salzburg Festival (2006)
Voices of our Time - Grace Bumbry (2004)
Metropolitan Opera Gala James Levine's 25th Anniversary (1996)
alfredissimo! Kochen mit Bio (1994)
Da Capo (1986)
Don Carlo (1983)
The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala (1983)
Wetten, dass..? (1981)
NDR Talk Show (1979)
Aïda (1977)
Bizet Carmen (1967)
Der goldene Schuß (1964)
The Mike Douglas Show (1961)
Ratings
Information
Known ForActing
GenderFemale
Birthday1937-01-04
Deathday2023-05-07 (86 years old)
Birth NameGrace Bumbry
Birth PlaceSt. Louis, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
AwardsCommandeur des Arts et des Lettres, Kennedy Center Honors
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