In a vocal masterclass for Boston University, celebrated mezzo-soprano, Grace Bumbry, coaches a baritone singing a well-known lied by Johannes Brahms. As a youth Grace Melzia Ann Bumbry sang in church choirs. In 2009 she founded the Grace Bumbry Vocal and Opera Academy in Berlin, at the Hochschule für Musik. In 1958 she was joint winner of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, sharing first place with Martina Arroyo. Grace Bumbry (born 4 January 1937), an American opera singer, was considered one of the leading mezzo-soprano s of her generation, as well as a major soprano for many years. Ffurfiodd y Grace Bumbry Vocal and Opera Academy, sy’n ymgynnull o ganol Gorffennaf tan ganol Medi.
Renowned for exemplary vocals, Bumbry mastered the bel canto technique and the complex transition from soprano to mezzo soprano. She broke racial barriers in 1960 as the first Black soprano to debut in the Paris Opera House. Opera impresario Grace Bumbry mesmerized audiences during a 60-year performance career.
In 1955 she entered Northwestern University, where she studied voice with Lotte Lehman, and transferred with her to the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California.