GRACE
BUMBRY
Grace Bumbry has been universally acclaimed as one of
the great singers of our time. Her vocal versatility
and dramatic instincts have made her an unparalleled
singing actress, not only in opera, but in recital as
well. The Vienna Observer wrote on July 4, 2000, "Grace
Bumbry is already a living legend. She has not only
preserved her charm and allure, she still possesses
a phenomenal technique and singing culture. The voice
still floats lavishly and you believe every gesture.
Nothing is forced or artificial."
Such greatness is of course, cultivated only with a
lot of hard work. Grace Ann Bumbry, born in the 1930's,
grew up on Goode Avenue in St. Louis. She joined the
Union Memorial Methodist Church's choir at age eleven,
and sang at Sumner High School. Since the early days
of her career in St. Louis, Ms. Bumbry has distinguished
herself artistically. A sensational appearance in 1954
on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scout program show afforded
her a scholarship opportunity at Northwestern University.
This was to prove a decisive moment since it was here
Ms. Bumbry first studied with the famed German soprano
Lotte Lehmann. Recognizing a unique talent, Madame Lehmann
immediately took responsibility for Ms. Bumbry's studies
and helped launch her professional career.
A number of singing prizes followed, enabling Ms. Bumbry
to go to Europe. A stunning debut at the Paris Opera
as Amneris assured international fame. In 1961, Richard
Wagner's grandson was so impressed with this debut that
he immediately offered her the part of Venus at the
Bayreuth Festival in a new production of Tannhauser.
As the first black singer ever to appear at the Festival
and on the Bayreuth stage, Grace Bumbry became renowned
as the "Black Venus of Bayreuth". Bumbry, an international
sensation, won the Wagner Medal. Her singing of Wagner
still inspires awe: "Bumbry sang Isolde's Liebestod
in an intense and moving way. This was no 'heroine'
on the podium but a real woman longing for redemption
in the face of death. She was celebrated by the public
like operatic royalty which she rightly deserved," quoted
the Vienna Observer, July 2000.
Other critically acclaimed debuts soon followed Bayreuth
at Carnegie Hall, Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera,
La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera. In 1990, Ms. Bumbry
took part in the inaugural performances at Paris's Bastille
Opera, starring as Cassandra in Berlioz's Les Troyens.
Several days later she scored a tour de force by singing
both Cassandra in Part I and Dido in Part II of Berlioz's
epic work.
In her distinguished career, not only has Ms. Bumbry
performed all of the great Verdi and French mezzo-soprano
roles, such as Carmen, Dalilah, Azucena, Eboli, and
Amneris, but also her forays into soprano repertory
have been equally applauded. Of her undimmed powers
another critic has recently written: "Every time you
encounter Grace Bumbry you find a miracle. Nothing in
her voice 'shows'. It is still able to pour forth in
every register without difficulty. It has immense fullness
and incredible radiance." She has sung with every major
conductor of the twentieth century having also appeared
on every major record label. Her extensive discography
includes Tannhauser (Phillips), Carmen
in the original 1875 Opera Comique version (EMI), the
1762 version of Orfeo (EMI), Aida (EMI),
Don Carlo (Decca), Le Cid (Sony) as well
as numerous recordings of lieder and oratorio.
Ms. Bumbry concludes the 1999-2000 season with concert
appearances in Paris, Vienna, and at the Carinthian
Festival in Austria. Highlights of the 2000-2001 season
include concert performances at Hanover's Expo 2000,
the Theatre des Champs Elysees Paris in Verdi's Requiem
as well as recitals at Vienna's Musikverein, Paris's
Chatelet, London's Wigmore Hall and Munich. The following
season is planned for Ms. Bumbry's return to the Vienna
State Opera.
In Spring 2001 Ms. Bumbry chairs the jury of Rumania's
distinguished Enescu Voice Competition and in the summer
she returns again to conduct master classes at the Mozarteum
Academy in Salzburg. While remaining an active musician,
Ms. Bumbry dedicates a considerable amount of time each
year to imparting the vocal and interpretative traditions
passed down to her by Lotte Lehmann to emerging generations
of singers.
The recipient of many distinguished musical and humanitarian
awards, Ms. Bumbry is especially proud of having received
the UNESCO Award, the American Guild of Musical Artists
Award, France's L'Officier des Arts et Lettres, Italy's
Premio Giuseppe Verdi, and the first recipient of the
Lawrence Tibbett Award.
As Paul Kilmer from Opera Theatre of St. Louis concluded,
"It is particularly fitting that she now be recognized
in her own home town. And it is very important for us
to remember and acknowledge that in her youth St. Louis
was not a supportive environment for black children
with artistic aspirations. Indeed, as a teenage she
won but was denied an important scholarship here because
she was black. She had to leave St. Louis in order to
pursue her dream of being an opera singer. I hope that
as we pay tribute to this exceptional artist with an
ARTS FOR LIFE Lifetime Achievement award it will quicken
our resolve that no other Grace Bumbry will ever go
unnurtured in our city and that the presentation of
this award will be, in fact, a call to redouble our
efforts to enrich the artistic lives of all St. Louisans."
Biography-October
8, 2000.
