The Bayreuth Festival mourns the loss of Grace Bumbry, who made opera history in Bayreuth in 1961 with her portrayal of Venus in “Tannhäuser”. Wieland Wagner brought her to Bayreuth, whom she later described, together with conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch, as the most important people in her career: “They stood behind me, very firmly”. With the acclaimed performance in Bayreuth, Brumby rose to become a European opera star. Performances followed at the Salzburg Festival, in Hamburg, London, Tokyo as well as at the Vienna State Opera and La Scala in Milan. In 1996, she was appointed Commandeur of the French Order Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government, and in 2009, the then US President Barack Obama awarded her the Kennedy Prize for her life’s work. We bow to one of the greatest artists of her time.