The world icon of opera, Grace Bumbry, is dead.

Protagonist of the historic edition of “Norma” in 1977 at the Festival della Valle d’Itria, we remember her in this photo close to President Franco Punzi, while he gave her the “Rodolfo Celletti” 2022 Career’s Award.

“We want to celebrate an internationally renowned artist, who has undoubtedly contributed to a greater understanding of the female voice, breaking stereotypes about what a soprano – or mezzo-soprano – can do or sing, going beyond academic categories. For this, Grace Bumbry is a real example: she has shown that each voice is unique in its individuality and that roles can be sung according to the voice of each singer instead of belonging only to a specific category”.