(born 1937), U.S. opera singer. Born on Jan. 4, 1937, in St. Louis, Mo., Grace Bumbry made her debut at the Paris Opéra in 1960 after studying at Boston and Northwestern universities and with Lotte Lehmann. In 1961 she became the first black artist to appear at the Bayreuth festival in Germany. She also performed at New York City's Metropolitan Opera, where she gave more than 170 performances, and at opera houses in London, Salzburg, and Milan. Bumbry sang mezzo-soprano and soprano roles.