- Studied voice at Northwestern University.
- Opera singer (mezzo-soprano and soprano), she was the first black artist to sing at Bayreuth.
- Member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
- Was invited to New Zealand to judge the 2005 Lexus Song Quest (New Zealand's biggest song competition with a prize pool of over $65,000)
- One of the five winners of the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors. Other 2009 winners were Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Dave Brubeck, and Mel Brooks.
- Bumbry was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
- Bumbry's voice was rich and dynamic, possessing a wide range, and was capable of producing a very distinctive plangent tone.
- She was a member of a pioneering generation of African-American opera and classical singers, beginning with Leontyne Price and including Martina Arroyo, Shirley Verrett, Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle, and Reri Grist, who succeeded Marian Anderson in the worlds of opera and classical music. They paved the way for future generations of African-American opera and concert singers.
- She was an American opera singer, considered one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, as well as a major soprano earlier in her career.
- On December 5, 2021, she paid tribute to her Operatic friend Justino Diaz who was one of the five people being honored that night for the 2021 Kennedy Center Honors.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content