With her magnetic charm, acclaimed operatic and solo performances worldwide, and a critically lauded discography, South African soprano Pretty Yende has quickly become one of the brightest stars of the classical music world.
Since making her professional operatic debut at the Latvian National Theatre in Riga as Micaela in Carmen, she has been seen at nearly all of the major theaters of the world, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Opéra National de Paris, Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Opernhaus Zürich and Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Vienna Staatsoper as well as many major concert venues.
This season, Pretty Yende returns to the Paris Opera to star in Romeo et Juliette and The Magic Flute. She makes her San Francisco Opera house debut as Violetta Valerie in Verdi’s La Traviata in the new production by Shawna Lucey. Later on she will return to Wiener Staatsoper to star in the title role in Massenet’s Manon, and as Marie in La Fille du regiment. Pretty reprises the role of Michaela in Carmen at the Staatsoper Berlin. At the Staatsoper Hamburg she is making her role debut as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto, and returns to all four heroines Olympia/Antonia/Giulietta/Stella in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann.
On the concert stage, Pretty Yende makes her return with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Carnegie Hall and Kimmel Cemter performing Mahler's Symphony No.4 under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She will also make multiple recital appearances, including in Kansas, Princeton, Geneva, Naples, Gstaad, Vienna, Festival Auvers-sur-Oise. Pretty will also join Nadine Sierra in a uniquely special series of concerts around Europe.
Last season, Pretty Yende returned to Wiener Staatsoper to star as her signature role of Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata and as Elvira in Bellini’s I Puritani. She reprised Violetta at the Royal Opera House and performed the role of Norina in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. At the Teatro di San Carlo, she sang Violetta in Ferzan Özpetek’s production, and delivered a recital with pianist Michele D’Elia.
Additionally, she made her debut as Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta, and Stella in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.
