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Grace Bumbry

She was born in St. Louis, Missouri to a middle class family, being involved in music since childhood, first with the church choir, and then in professional competitions, which would later earn her a prestigious scholarship in Boston, and later Northwestern, where she studied under Lotte Lehmann, a German great.

Lehmann pushed her to debut at the1961 Bayreuth Festival in a production of Tannhauser alongside Wolfgang Windgassen and Victoria de los Angeles. Her tour de force performance as Venus led to international fame: from Covenant Garden to La Scala to the Kennedy White House. In 1965 she finally found her home at The Met, where she sang for over thirty years.

Charming, elegant, and always stylish, let's discuss the American mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry.

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by Anonymousreply 45January 6, 2024 12:10 AM

Grace Bumbry Desert Island Discs

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by Anonymousreply 1April 6, 2023 6:44 PM

Vissi d'arte from Tosca

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by Anonymousreply 2April 6, 2023 6:45 PM

An interview with Ms. Bumbry

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by Anonymousreply 3April 6, 2023 6:49 PM

Did she know Eric Porter?

by Anonymousreply 4April 6, 2023 6:55 PM

R4 FU

by Anonymousreply 5April 6, 2023 7:05 PM

Beautiful woman and great mezzo. Especially superb as Sanit-Saens's Dalila--has sung some of the most gorgeous versions I've ever heard of that character's two big arias ("Printemps qui commence" and "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voi").

by Anonymousreply 6April 6, 2023 7:13 PM

*Saint-Saens, not "Sanit-Saens"

by Anonymousreply 7April 6, 2023 7:37 PM

R6 I agree. The voice of an angel. I love her singing in Brahms Requiem. Unfortunately I cannot find a video of it. One of the most angelic moments of my life.

by Anonymousreply 8April 6, 2023 7:42 PM

A great mezzo, but only an ok soprano.

by Anonymousreply 9April 6, 2023 8:02 PM

King Charles’s favorite singer (when he was younger, anyway).

by Anonymousreply 10April 6, 2023 8:12 PM

R10 Really? She was Jacqueline Kennedy's too

by Anonymousreply 11April 6, 2023 8:18 PM

bump

by Anonymousreply 12April 7, 2023 2:02 AM

Many years ago, I was backstage, complimenting a counter-tenor after a particularly good performance. He said “ I owe it all to Grace Bumbry”. “Oh”, I said “ did you study with Grace Bumbry?” “No” he replied “ I wanted to BE Grace Bumbry”. Loved him for that.

by Anonymousreply 13April 7, 2023 2:43 AM

R13 Wow so true

by Anonymousreply 14April 7, 2023 2:16 PM

I love her but she chewed scenery like it was going out of style.

I love Verrett better because she’s just a more nuanced singer.

That was a golden age!

by Anonymousreply 15April 7, 2023 5:04 PM

Verrett was a great actress as well as a great singer. Her Lady Macbeth was at the level of Callas's.

But Bumbry's voice was exquisite.

by Anonymousreply 16April 7, 2023 5:05 PM

Bumbry was fierce and fearless. Love that in opera singers—sadly missing in today’s crop

by Anonymousreply 17April 7, 2023 10:47 PM

[Quote] “ I wanted to BE Grace Bumbry”.

Mary!

by Anonymousreply 18April 7, 2023 10:48 PM

I saw Bumbry give a recital at the end of her career.

Still an exquisite interpreter of songs.

I believe her brother was a famous baseball player (dont know anything about baseball).

by Anonymousreply 19April 7, 2023 10:50 PM

She was in an all star production of Verdi's Don Carlos

Conducted by James Levine

Mirella Freni

Placido Domingo

Grace Bumbry

Louis Quilico

Ferruccio Furlanetto

and Mr. Nicolai Ghiaurov

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by Anonymousreply 20April 7, 2023 10:53 PM

R20, watched that Live From the Met when I was a kid!

by Anonymousreply 21April 7, 2023 11:04 PM

Mirella Freni.

Swoon.

by Anonymousreply 22April 7, 2023 11:35 PM

R21 wow. How was that experience?

by Anonymousreply 23April 8, 2023 11:20 AM

R23, sorry, I meant that I watched it on TV as a kid as part of the Live from the MET telecasts

by Anonymousreply 24April 8, 2023 1:17 PM

[quote] Covenant Garden

Oh, dear

by Anonymousreply 25April 8, 2023 1:20 PM

She is dead to me !!! I will miss her dearly.

by Anonymousreply 26May 8, 2023 4:05 PM

Oh fuck no.... She was one of my favourites singers. A sad day.

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by Anonymousreply 27May 8, 2023 4:36 PM

Is she the one who lashed out at younger singers who are no longer comfortable performing in blackface?

by Anonymousreply 28May 8, 2023 4:38 PM

She was the first Black Venus in Bayreuth. Opera has been colorblind since decades!

by Anonymousreply 29May 8, 2023 5:20 PM

Greg Guidry's death was ruled a suicide.

by Anonymousreply 30May 8, 2023 5:28 PM

Aww, this is saddening to hear. Both my parents were fans. I knew her from recordings and videos. She was beautiful and alluring in those mezzo roles.

R26, this deserves it’s own thread. Please make one.

by Anonymousreply 31May 8, 2023 5:50 PM

[quote]R30 Greg Guidry's death was ruled a suicide.

Yuck! Death by burning car cannot be a common choice!

How awful.

by Anonymousreply 32May 8, 2023 6:22 PM

R31 What? How is R26 post not related to this thread?

by Anonymousreply 33May 8, 2023 10:29 PM

R8, it's hard for me to imagine that Miss Bumbry's soprano ambitions encompassed the Brahms REQUIEM -- doesn't seem like her bag in any way, vocally. Are you thinking of the Verdi?

by Anonymousreply 34May 8, 2023 11:54 PM

Great lady and singer. Ms. Bumbry will be missed.

*RIP*

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by Anonymousreply 35May 9, 2023 1:33 AM

I am going to miss her. She was gorgeous

by Anonymousreply 36May 9, 2023 4:57 AM

I let Karajan drive my car

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by Anonymousreply 37May 9, 2023 5:01 AM

She ain’t no Viola Davis, but in OP’s photo she does look she’s wearing a Raquel Welch wig.

by Anonymousreply 38May 9, 2023 5:19 AM

R38 Wanda Sykes

by Anonymousreply 39May 9, 2023 12:57 PM

While I liked Bumbry’s fire (Prince Charles said he was her favorite opera singer), I still think Verrett was the superior singer in similar fachs

by Anonymousreply 40May 10, 2023 12:48 AM

This is beautiful. One of the best.

lo son l'umile ancella from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur.

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by Anonymousreply 41July 5, 2023 10:46 PM

O ma lyre immortelle from Sapho

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by Anonymousreply 42September 23, 2023 10:47 PM

Not many American Catholics became opera singers. We didn’t have church choirs.

1970s “folk masses” didn’t do much to stimulate catholic voices.

by Anonymousreply 43September 23, 2023 10:49 PM

R40. Prince Charles thinks he was Grace Bumbry’s favorite opera singer? Remarkable.

by Anonymousreply 44September 24, 2023 1:17 AM

She's just a wonderful person

by Anonymousreply 45January 6, 2024 12:10 AM
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