Yma Sumac

Yma Sumac‘s source of wealth comes from being a opera singer. How much money is Yma Sumac worth at the age of 102 and what’s her real net worth now?

As of 2024, Yma Sumac’s net worth is under review.

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Yma Sumac (born September 13, 1922) is famous for being opera singer. She currently resides in Peru. Known as The Peruvian Songbird, Sumac was a soprano who had a five-octave range and released the single “Mambo!”

Yma Sumac is a Virgo and was born in The Year of the Dog

Life

Yma Sumac was born in Peru on Wednesday, September 13, 1922 (G.I. Generation generation). She is 102 years old and is a Virgo. Yma Sumac, a mystery unsolved even today, is the only singer known to possess close to a staggering 5 octave voice. While less than a handful of singers have managed to capture Sumac’s high notes, none have managed to acquire those notes including Sumac’s lowest registers. More amazing, is that Yma Sumac had no formal training! It has been said she is unable to read musical notes! How did this phenomenal lady with the beautiful face and extraordinary voice come to be? Born on September 13, 1922 (official, finally, as I have held the actual birth certificate in my hands) in the high mountains of Ichocan, Peru, little Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chavarri Del Castillo, had dreams of being a great singer. However, such a dream was deemed almost impossible in Peru and especially for a”proper lady.” But the girl was unstoppable. Around the age of 9 she could often be seen high atop a mountain in the High Andes singing ancient Peruvian folkloric songs, to a group of rocks, which she pretended was her audience. Entranced by the beautiful birds that sang nearby, she began to imitate them, by incorporating their high pitched sounds into her”repertoire.” Her voice matured somewhat by age 13 and local Peruvians took notice. Much to the unhappiness of her parents, she was invited to appear on Argentinean radio. Soon enough South America was quite enchanted with this amazing voice. In 1943, she would record around 16 songs in Argentina (most of which have been released on CD in the last decade). Conductor Moises Vivanco met and later married the young lady, now renamed Imma Sumack and along with a dancer (Cholita Rivero), formed a group called “The Inka Taky Trio.” Together they performed traditional Peruvian music. They had minor tours all over South America. But both Vivanco and Imma Sumack had bigger dreams. After all, she is believed to be a direct descendant of Atahualpa, Peru’s last Incan emperor! Sumac’s mother’s maiden name was Atahualpa, the same as that of the last ruler of the Incan civilization, Yma Sumac could be regarded as “a princess royal and spiritual leader of the mountain people of Peru…(occupying) a unique position in the Inca religion.” The trio moved to New York and continued performing. Americans were not prepared or particularly interested in the music, finding it a bit bizarre. But many were enchanted with Sumack’s lovely face and voice. One night in a small New York club, a talent scout from Capitol Records was present. The man apparently saw great potential in this young lady. He immediately signed them to Capitol records a MAJOR American record label! However, changes would have to be made. ‘ Imma Sumack’ would be changed once again, to ‘Yma Sumac’ a more glamorous spelling. The focus would be on Yma, and Vivanco would be “the man behind the Diva.” The simple “twangy” traditional Peruvian accompaniment would have to be incorporated into large and lush orchestral versions if it were to take on Universal appeal. This would be a challenge, but one the Vivanco’s could meet! Now in her mid 20’s Sumac’s voice had reached it’s unparalleled peak, and her beauty intoxicating. A now classic record, ‘Voice of the Xtabay’ was recorded in 1950 and sold over 100,000 copies WITHOUT major publicity! After a massively successful concert at the Hollywood Bowl that same year, Yma Sumac would become world famous and travel the globe and become a vocal phenomenon. Sumac toured and recorded albums for the entire decade of the 50’s, appeared in at least 4 films, had worldwide fan clubs and was eventually declared “the 8th wonder of the world.” Major movie stars and opera singers were great fans of hers. Some of her childhood movie idols were now fans of hers! While Sumac and her husband remained true to the ancient Peruvian language of Quechuan and Spanish, they occasionally ventured into Italian arias and songs not originally intended for vocal interpretation. Sumac performed Claire De Lune and The Magical Flute, astonish… Throughout the 1950s, she was a big supporter of exotica music.

She got her break due to a close relationship with Moises Vianco, a bandleader. Yma Sumac is a member of Richest Celebrities and Opera Singers.