Great Performances: Season 52, Episode 14

52 - 14: The Magic of Grace Bumbry

This documentary recounts the story of the African American Missouri native who became the toast of the 1960s international opera scene. Her fairytale rise began in the 1950s era of racism when she was prevented from studying at the St. Louis Institute of Music, despite having won a radio competition at the age of 17. She first achieved international renown with her breakthrough performance in "Tannhäuser" at the 1961 Bayreuth Festival where she received 40 ecstatic curtain calls, leading up to her celebrated performance in the 1966 production of "Carmen" directed by legendary German conductor Herbert von Karajan.