Grace Bumbry, the globally acclaimed mezzo-soprano who could also take on some of the powerful soprano roles for lyrico-spinto / dramatic voices, has died aged 86.
She had suffered a stroke last year.
She rose above racism that saw her denied entry into the St Louis Institute of Music, even though she won the prize of entry. She triumphed even over the uproar caused when she was cast as Venus in Wagner’s Tannhäuser in the Bayreuth Festival in 1961.
A truly great voice… a formidable personality…
