Career

CONCERT PERFORMANCE

1959–present

In recitals and concerts around the world, Bumbry continues to tap her repertoire of German lieder, French art songs, and Italian arias For 45 years Bumbry has continued to pursue her first love as a concert performer

1963

Invited by First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy to perform as a guest artist The Kennedy White House / Washington, District of Columbia USA

1962–1963

Performing as herself in concert as part of a 25 show, nine-week tour American concert debut / Carnegie Hall, New York + 21 other cities

1959

Performing as herself in concert European concert debut / London, England UK

OPERATIC PERFORMANCE

1997

Performed in the role of Clytemnestra in Strauss’ Elektra Farewell Performance / Opéra national de Lyon, France

1961–1997

Principal mezzo-soprano and soprano roles in German, French and Italian opera International career / the foremost opera houses of the world

1985

Performed in the soprano role of Bess at this debut of a fifty-year old work Debut of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess at The Metropolitan Opera / New York, New York USA

1983

Performed from her operatic repertoire at the gala  The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala / New York, New York USA

1965

Performed the role of Princess Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlos Metropolitan Opera debut / New York, New York USA

1963

Performed the role of Princess Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlos Royal Opera House debut / London, England UK

1963

Performed the role of Venus in Wagner's Tannhäuser American operatic debut / Chicago Lyric Opera, Chicago, Illinois USA

1960–1962

Mezzo-soprano Basel Opera / Basel, Switzerland

1961

Performed the role of Venus in Wagner's Tannhäuser, the first black woman to perform there German debut / Bayreuth Festspiel

1960

Performed the role of Amneris in Verdi's Aïda Operatic debut at the Paris Opéra / Paris, France

MEZZO-SOPRANO OPERATIC REPERTOIRE

La principessa Eboli in Verdi’s Don Carlos

Azucena in Verdi’s Il Trovatore

Ulrica in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera

Carmen in Bizet’s Carmen

Dalila in Saint-Saëns Samson et Dalila

Orfeo in Gluck’s Orfeo et Eurydice

Adalgisa in Bellini’s Norma

Herodiade in Massenet’s Herodiade

Didon in Berlioz’s Les Troyens

Cassandre in Berlioz’s Les Troyens

Old Lady in Bernstein’s Candide

SOPRANO OPERATIC REPERTOIRE

Norma in Bellini’s Norma

Sélika in Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine

Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth

Salome in Strauss’ Salome

Santuzza in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana

Abigaille in Verdi’s Nabucco

Medea in Pacini’s Medea

La Vestale in Spontini’s La Vestale

Jenufa in Janáček’s Jenufa

Gioconda in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda

Ariane in Dukas’ Ariane et Barbe-bleue

Leonora in Verdi’s Il Trovatore

Leonora in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino

Tosca in Puccini’s Tosca

Turandot in Puccini’s Turandot

RECORDINGINGS

2013

Performer, producer Arias & Songs

2008

Performer Verdi - Don Carlo

2006

Performs the role of Carmen Bizet's Carmen - Les tringles des sistres tintaient

2005

Performs the role of Carmen Bizet - Carmen

2005

Performer, producer Grace Bumbry: Early Recordings -Oratorio, Opera, Lieder

2005

Performer Musik aus Opern von Christoph Willibald Gluck

2005

Performer The Art of Grace Bumbry

2004

Performer Voices of our Time

2002

Performer Rapture

2000

Performer, producer Grace Bumbry Lieder & Arias 1963-1978

1999

Performer Aida - Act IV, Scene 1, Radamès!

1999

Performer Metropolitan Opera - Centennial Gala

1998

Performer Tannhauser

1993

Performer, producer Grace Bumbry - Famous Opera Arias

1991

Soloist Grace Bumbry In Concert

PERFORMANCES ON FILM

1977

Performed in the role of Amneris Verdi’s Aïda, Thomas Schippers conducting

1967

Performed in the role of Carmen Bizet’s Carmen with the Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan conducting

Accomplishments of note

1991

Appointed: UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Paris, France In this capacity, Bumbry joins an illustrious group designated UNESCO Celebrity Advocates

1990

Performer: at the opening of the new Opéra Bastille Paris, France Performed in the role of Cassandre in Berlioz's Les Troyens

1982

Organizer: Carnegie Hall Concert Honoring Marian Anderson Carnegie Hall / New York, New York USA with Shirley Verrett The tribute concert honoring Marian Anderson took a year to arrange 

1978

Performer: at the first Kennedy Center Honors as part of a tribute to Marian Anderson Washington, District of Columbia USA with The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The two had met in 1954 and Anderson had guided her since, including encouraging impresario Sol Hurok to take her on as a client

1970

Soprano debut: after establishing her career as a mezzo-soprano, she added a soprano repertoire Vienna Staatsoper / Vienna, Austria Her operatic debut in a soprano role was as Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana

1965

New York Debut: The Metropolitan Opera Performed of Princess Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlos  

1962

Headliner: American Tour including her Carnegie Hall concert debut New York, New York USA and 21 other American cities with Sol Hurok, the legendary impressario  Among the 25 concert performances was one for an audience of 3,000 in her hometown of St. Louis

1961

Signer: of a five-year, $250,000 contract for recordings, television appearances, concerts and opera engagements with Sol Hurok

1961

German debut: in the role of Venus in Wagner's Tannhauser Bayreuth Festival / Bayreuth, Germany with Wieland Wagner, festival director and the composer's grandson, whose first choice she was for the role Bumbry became the first black to ever sing at the festival, creating great controversy, but . Wagner and Bumbry were vindicated by 42 curtain calls on opening-night, which launched her international career

Professional honors and awards

2009

The Kennedy Center Honors The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Lifetime achievement for elevating the cultural vibrancy of our nation and the world through classical music

2003

Inducted as Kammersängerin at the National Chancellery in Vienna Republic of Austria

Premio Giuseppe Verdi Istituto Nazionale di Studi Verdiani / Parma, Italy

Commandeur des Arts et Lettres Republic of France

L’Officier des Arts et Lettres Republic of France

1990

The first Lawrence Tibbett Award The American Guild of Musical Artists, which established a scholarship in her name that year

1958

Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air The Metropolitan Opera Shared first prize with soprano Martina Arroyo this last year the competition was held

1957

John Hay Whitney Award John Hay Whitney Foundation Opportunity fellowship for graduate study/training useful in developing talent

1957

Marian Anderson Scholarship Marian Anderson Scholarship Fund, which awarded scholarships from 1943 through 1972

1954

Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts The Arthur Godfrey Show, a pioneer in television variety programming based in New York City 1954 Winner for her on-air performance, which brought her a number of scholarship offers

1954

First Prize in a singing competition, at the age of 17 Radio station KMOX in St. Louis, Missouri USA The prize included a $1,000 war bond, a free trip to New York, and a $1,000 scholarship to the St. Louis Institute of Music; segregated, they would not enroll a black student