May 22, 2023

- [Jim] She went from a Sumner High school choir to dazzling audiences in opera houses around the world.

- The talent and the artistry was just so extraordinary.

- [Jim] Grace Bumbry is remembered as a soaring and trailblazing talent.

It is an instrument that has a beautiful look and sound, if you can manage to get the hang of it.

- It is extremely difficult.

It's very challenging.

- [Jim] A gathering of zither players in Washington, Missouri.

once home to the man known as the Zither King.

And we check in on local media sensation Murphy the Eagle, who went from incubating a rock to raising the real thing.

We'll see how that's going.

It's all next on "Living St.

Louis."

(calm music) (groovy upbeat music) (groovy upbeat music continues) (groovy upbeat music continues) (groovy upbeat music continues) I am Jim Kirchherr.

St. Louis has been in the spotlight this year because of what must be one of the most unusual local celebrities of all time: a bird, specifically a bald eagle.

Veronica Mohesky brings us up to date on the story of Murphy, who gained fame by doing what comes naturally.

Well, after kind of a rocky start.

(upbeat music) - [Veronica] After 31 years at the World Bird Sanctuary, Murphy, the bald eagle, has finally become a father.

Well, a foster father.

Roger Holloway, the executive director and CFO of the World Bird Sanctuary says Murphy's journey into fatherhood began when he showed a unique interest in a rock.

- Interest in the rock started back in March, earlier in March, which is a typical time of year for bald eagles and other birds of prey to be interested and active in nesting.

It's just a very strong seasonal hormonal surge where they want to incubate and care for something - [Veronica] That something was this small rock.

Murphy created a nest and began incubating his rock-egg.

And while some eagles have done this in the past at the World Bird Sanctuary, Holloway says it's not common, especially for a single male eagle.

- Bald eagles will mate for life when things go well, but Murphy went through this with the rock without having a mate.

- [Veronica] Murphy's rock-egg gained a lot of attention online but what seemed like a quirky habit to their online fans became an asset to the World Bird Sanctuary when a young eaglet was in need of care.

- Bald eagle nests, the pair will add to them year after year.

So they get really, really heavy, sometimes weakening or toppling the tree that they're built in.

And so that's what happened in this case.

Is the eagle, the eagle nest, and the tree fell down.

Only one of the eagles survived the fall and that's the one that's here.

- [Veronica] The eaglet, known as 23126, was brought to the sanctuary.

Because of Murphy's strong nesting behavior, the team decided to switch out his rock baby with a real one.

- We already have foster parents here that are permanent residents.

Red-shouldered hawk, (indistinct) great horned owl, which are species that we regularly get as youngsters in our hospital.

And those foster parents will raise those babies when they come in.

Knowing that we had that success with those species, then we felt it best to try to do the fostering with a bald eagle parent, with this young chick that came in.

- [Veronica] Murphy's switch from the rock baby to a real eaglet made him a viral sensation.

His story was featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and on CBS Sunday morning.

And so far, Murphy has been a great dad, which is a big deal.

This is the first time the World Bird Sanctuary has been able to use a bald eagle as a foster parent.

- So it's a little risky 'cause Murphy had never done it.

We've never had it done with any of our permanent resident bald eagles, where they raised a chick, but we felt it was time to try.

- [Veronica] Murphy and Eaglet 23126 were moved to a private enclosure where they could bond without the interference of humans.

- There is a risk when birds of prey, even any bird, can habituate and imprint around people.

Imprinting is when they really lose their self-identity and they think they're a person.

So, they have no fear of people.

And then usually a reduced ability to find food or look for food because they rely on people.

- [Veronica] This is important because the ultimate goal is to release 23126 back into the wild.

This is also why the young bird doesn't have a name like Murphy, but this doesn't mean that Murphy will be done with fatherhood after the eaglet leaves.

- When it comes down to it, we we're pretty sure we have a good surrogate parent for next season.

- [Veronica] And besides opening new opportunities for raising eaglets, Murphy's story has brought in new visitors, donors, and interest to the world Bird Sanctuary.

Holloway says he hopes that Murphy's popularity brings more attention to the importance of the conservation of birds of prey.

- They do so much as natural controls for pests and they, without them we'd have a lot of problems with our food supply, with our buildings, our homes, our everything.

- [Veronica] The World Bird Sanctuary is posting regular updates on its Facebook page, and has said Murphy is becoming less involved as the eaglet gets older, he just sort of tolerates the youngster and acts as an eagle role model.

The next steps for the eagle is learning to fly and hunt.

- You know, all things go well.

We release this baby eagle and then we're back to our routine.

Murphy's gonna move back into this enclosure and then our mission moves on from there.

So we want people to stay interested in it with our rehabilitation efforts, with our education efforts, with our conservation, where we're trying to help endangered species and move forward with a mission that we really want to get everybody interested, involved in.

(no audio) - So, we're hearing this every day, the new breakthroughs, new technologies, artificial intelligence changing the world, transforming our lives and our futures.

And yet in the midst of it all, there are always those who are dedicated to the old ways, both for pleasure and preservation.

Our next story is about a few of those folks who are working to make sure the music doesn't die.

(calm bright music) (happy zither music) First thing, let's get this out of the way.

The most famous zither song of all time, by a long shot, the theme from the 1949 movie, "The Third Man."

But the Zither is more than a one-hit wonder, at least for these folks.

(happy zither music) They came to Washington, Missouri, in April for the 2023 International Zither Gathering.

Washington Zither player and teacher, Anne Prince, was one of the organizers.

- And it is the only time in the United States that we are going to have this many zither players together to perform this year.

And it's just so exciting for us to have that.

So, we have people from across the world, we have people from three different countries.

That includes Canada, Germany, and Switzerland.

And then we have people for like 10 different states in the country.

(upbeat zither music) - [Jim] This wasn't just a chance to get together with others who share their passion for this instrument.

It was a chance to work with this guy, Tony Temerson, a master zither player from Germany, one of the only people in the world who makes a living playing the zither, and conducting and teaching this very difficult instrument.

He compares it to playing three guitars at the same time with two hands.

(calm zither music) - Bass guitar and rhythm guitar together.

(zither strings ringing) (upbeat zither music) The third guitar is the lead.

(happy zither music) Putting this together, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, tone belongs to the left hand, which is the lead.

That's the only instrument in the world you have to have three different rhythms in one hand.

- It is extremely difficult, it's very challenging 'cause both hands- - [Jim] Lynn Benov came here from New York, her introduction to the zither happened a couple of years ago in a German class she was taking, - And we had to give an oral presentation on a famous German.

So, Kathy, Anne's sister, she's also from New York, did a presentation on Schwarzer.

- Let's go back to the introduction.

- [Jim] If you've heard of the name Franz Schwarzer, you're either a zither player or you're from Washington, Missouri.

Once home to the Schwarzer Zither factory.

I knew the name because, well, okay, this isn't my first zither story.

(upbeat zither music) In 2019, I went to the Washington History Museum to learn about the man who became known as the Zither King.

I got the story from the late Mark Houseman.

I'm familiar with the Corn cob pipe story - Right.

- But I'll be honest with you, I have never heard of the zither history- - Right.

- Here in Washington or something.

How did it get started?

Clearly there's a lot of Germans.

So you need a lot of Germans to have- - Right.

- A zither industry, right?

- Exactly, exactly.

It is considered a Germanic instrument.

We had an Austrian immigrant, actually, by the name of Franz Schwartzer came here.

He was a wood turner.

And because he had woodworking skill, the story goes that some local person said, you know, "I'm having trouble finding a zither and I miss the music from the old country."

And Schwarzer said, "Well, I'm pretty sure I can build a zither."

So he made his first zither in 1866.

And pretty soon, not unlike the corn cob pipe story, one person gets one, then everyone wants one.

(bright music) - [Jim] Schwarzer or Schwartzer in German, opened a factory which at one point had 25 employees.

They made some other stringed instruments but the specialty was zithers, and good ones.

Schwarzer won a medal at the exposition in Vienna in 1873.

And if you win a zither medal in Vienna, you must be doing something right.

Schwarzer died in 1904.

The factory stayed open into the 1920s, and then one last employee, Albert Hess, made repairs and new strings into the 1950s.

(calm music) So all this zithers that you have here were made here in Washington?

- Yes, absolutely.

- How did you get them?

- Most of them have been donated over the years.

We've literally received them from all over the world.

- But once you're in the zither community, right?

The connections are made, I would suppose, especially- - Yes.

- Since the internet started and things like that.

- Exactly, yeah.

The internet has made a whole different world.

And actually Schwartzer Zithers come up on eBay, for instance, about maybe twice a month.

- [Jim] The zithers are beautiful, old-world craftsmanship here, and they are playable.

While we were there, members of the Schwarzer Zither Ensemble had gathered, playing some very old locally-made zithers.

(bright zither music) - Is not everybody would wanna play an instrument that's 100 years old.

And just the other day, what?

We got another zither in the mail, at the table, and we quit practice so we could go look at at all of it.

It's the love of history and music.

- [Jim] It is a passion shared by people around the world.

Okay, maybe not a lot of people, but at the 2023 international gathering there was the feeling that the zither, the instrument, the music, the tradition, is not in decline, especially here in Washington, the home of the Zither King.

- Our goal, going forward from here, in the Washington area, is to start working with some of the school systems in their afterschool programs to start introducing the zither to kids.

The interesting thing here is a lot of people, even older people, have Schwarzers at home, but they've never heard them played.

But what's also been wonderful about this year is really how many beginners have joined us this year.

(happy zither music) So, this is what the opportunity is, for us is bringing it the living, we're part of the living history here, and it's bringing that alive for people to enjoy, and play, and be a part of.

(bright zither music) (audience claps) - She was an international sensation, came out of St. Louis and Sumner High School.

Grace Bumbry was an immense talent who dazzled audiences in opera houses around the world for decades.

She passed away May 7th, at the age of 86, in Vienna.

Ruth Ezell takes a look at her life as both celebrated diva and groundbreaking pioneer.

- My name is Grace-Melzia Bumbry.

- [Ruth] This educational video from the website of the late Opera Diva is how younger generations of singers will remember Grace Bumbry.

But to opera historians and fans old enough to recall her road to stardom.

The mezzosoprano from St. Louis, Missouri was a trailblazer who set the world on fire with her beauty, stage presence, and incredible voice.

- Well, growing up in St. Louis, you couldn't help but to know about her.

- Harry Moppins, Jr. of Webster Groves is retired from his career as a human resources professional but he's always been deeply involved in music.

Like Grace Bumbry before him, Moppins graduated from Sumner High School and performed in the choir.

- She would come to St. Louis periodically and we would have assemblies, and she didn't sing.

She was there, sort of talk about her career and stuff.

- [Ruth] As a high school student and again in college, Moppins sang in the choirs of two locally-produced operas that starred Bumbry.

- Like I said, when I got to being lost in the stars and to sing with her.

And then some years later, "Cavalleria Rusticana," when I was in college, and she and her husband Andreas, were both the major stars in it.

You know, we were in rehearsal with her a lot during the time, and got to actually perform with her again.

That was another major milestone in my musical career.

- [Ruth] But Moppins recollections of Grace Bumbry go back even further.

- And as a kid, when she was on the television show in one, the whole family was there watching her.

- On, I- - It's on television.

On the "Arthur Godfrey Show."

- [Ruth] Arthur Godfrey, he had like a- - Had a talent show, yes.

And that's what she was on.

- Wow.

- She's was on the "Arthur Godfrey Show."

So I was a little kid in grammar school but it was still.

It's like anything else.

Somebody from St. Louis that's on a national TV show, you wanna watch it.

- [Ruth] The year was 1954.

An account of Berry's appearance published in Jet Magazine noted the teenager singing was so powerful it moved the host to tears.

In 1961, Grace Bumbry became the first black singer to be cast in an opera at the Wagner Bayreuth festival in Germany.

She portrayed a character whose origins were decidedly Nordic.

The move caused an uproar, that is, until she stepped out onto the stage and opened her mouth.

The performance was a triumph and resulted in a 30-minute ovation.

It's safe to say many in the audience reacted as Arthur Godfrey did when he first heard Grace Bumbry seven years earlier.

Bumbry performed 15 different roles over the course of her association with New York's Metropolitan Opera.

She debuted as Princess Eboli in Don Carlo.

Other parts with the Met included the title roles in "Carmen," "Tosca," and "Salome."

She was applauded at some of the world's most prestigious opera venues and concert halls, but as one of the first African Americans seeking parts considered non-traditional, her path to success wasn't smooth.

- She had to fight for her roles.

But once people started appreciating the voice and finding out her range, the doors began to open more and more for her.

- Professionally.

- [Ruth] A Grammy Award-winner and Kennedy Center honoree, among other accolades, Grace Bumbry will be remembered with admiration by her fans, her peers, and those she touched with her mentoring, coaching, and encouragement - Free yourself to sing with abounding confidence, and above all, expect success.

Prepare for the applause, prepare the Bumbry way.

(audience claps) (opera music) - The current director of Opera Theater of St. Louis is part of the opera world's new generation.

Andrew Jorgensen told Ruth in a Zoom interview that, while he never saw Grace Bumbry perform live, he's well aware of her work, her talent, and reputation on stage, and as a pioneering Black performer.

He's also aware that her work is not done.

(calm music) - The number of firsts that Grace Bumry had in her career are legion.

Too many to count.

But, you know, in the same column that we talk about Marian Anderson being, you know, a first.

Grace Bumbry was a first in so many different places.

And I think that that is because the talent and the artistry was just so extraordinary that she was able to break down barriers where others before had, sadly, not yet been successful.

- Speaking of breaking down barriers, this is something that Opera Theater continues to do, because even after all these years, I still think they're trying to get that inclusion, trying to bring in not just new talent, but new audiences.

- Even when we have successfully created real spaces of diversity on our stage, we have not always been as successful in the ranks of our company, in the ranks of our board, and certainly not in the ranks of our audience.

And it's something to which we have turned all of our attention because the learning is that when we create spaces that are authentically inclusive for company members, we create spaces that will be more inclusive for our audience, and we can actually create an environment that welcomes new audience members, people of color, people who are queer, people who just don't think that opera might be for them, and that we can actually broaden this art form.

Maybe it's an opera theater cliche.

We can literally broaden the tent for more people to feel at home, and find meaning and connection in this magnificent art form.

I think that's particularly important as we consider the legacy of Grace Bumbry.

This is a woman from St. Louis, one of the many extraordinary alumni of Sumner High School, who, through extraordinary artistry, connected with people and brought people together, and broadened who opera could be for, and who could see themself on an opera stage.

It's a legacy that we've been thinking about a great deal because she was also a great advocate, especially in her later years, for greater inclusion in opera, and for the work that institutions and communities needed to do to make opera and opera companies more authentically-inclusive places.

That's a legacy that she spoke profoundly about when she was at our Opera Theater in 2016.

I wasn't there, but I've heard that she spoke beautifully about those questions, about the way that St. Louis propelled her career.

And so I think that legacy of what St. Louis can be and how we can foster greater inclusion in opera, and that legacy of her extraordinary artistry, all of those things are legacies that we have to continue to think about as we think about crafting the future of this art form for the next generation of artists and of adoring audiences.

- Andrew Jorgensen is General Director of Opera Theater of St. Louis.

Andrew, thanks for joining us.

(no audio) (typewriter clacking) (dramatic music) - [Jim] This photo was taken just before it hit.

The darkening sky above St. Louis on the afternoon of May 27th, 1896.

It was just after 5:00 p.m., the twister formed on the near south side and then sliced through the city, moved up along the riverfront, and crossed into Illinois.

(poignant piano music) The destruction on both sides of the river was appalling, and the dead were everywhere.

(poignant piano music) More than 300 people killed, because this hit everything, houses, factories filled with workers, a hospital.

The Soulard neighborhood was devastated.

In 1997 we interviewed Iza Lee Bishop.

She was 105 years old at the time, and there were things she couldn't remember about her life but she could tell you about the 1896 tornado that went through her south side neighborhood.

- This was 2706 Allen Avenue.

This is I, four years old.

I remember that the woman upstairs came down and was kneeling at the front door, praying, and my grandmother, who was somewhat of a agnostic, said, "Get away, get away, let me get there.

This isn't a time to pray."

She said that.

(Iza laughs) - [Jim] In 1896, St. Louis was a city of telephones, and gas, and electricity, and street cars, and the storm brought it all to a halt.

(inquisitive music) Only a few details of the great disaster made it out over the few remaining telegraph lines, and the reports around the world were often exaggerated, and it would take days to get word to out-of-town relatives.

Rescue and recovery operations were hindered by the thousands of people who came to see the devastation.

And by looters.

And there was political pushback, complaints that well-to-do areas were being put in front of the line when it came to getting help.

The recovery, the rebuilding, would take a long time.

It was one of the most terrible days in this city's history.

101 years later, a little girl grown very old, who was impressed not by a brush with death or by the power of nature, but by the rubble beneath her tiny feet.

- And when we came back to stay with somebody, I walked over bricks.

And that impressed me, the idea of walking on bricks.

- [Jim] 127 years ago, this week in St. Louis history.

(piano note rings somberly) And that's "Living St.

Louis."

Keep sending us your suggestions and your comments.

You can reach us at ninepbs.org/lsl.

Thanks for watching.

I'm Jim Kirchherr, and we'll see you next time.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] "Living St. Louis" is funded in part by the Betsy & Thomas Patterson Foundation, and the members of Nine PBS.

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