In her bright yellow dress, Pretty Yende dazzled millions of viewers on May 6. The South African soprano was indeed one of the artists invited to Westminster Abbey for the coronation of Charles III. “A moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I felt the gazes turned towards me, and even the attention of each soul…”
What a path since his early years in a country still under the apartheid regime! Born in 1985, converted to opera thanks to an advertising spot illustrated by Le Duo des fleurs du Lakmé by Léo Delibes, she entered a singing competition at the age of 16… and won. The doors of the lyrical world are opening, a world of which she is now one of the stars most courted by international stages.
This June 1st in Auvers-sur-Oise, his agile and youthful voice will illuminate the Italian bel canto, his favorite field, but also the melody, this delicate art which flourishes so gracefully in the nave of the Notre-Dame church. of Auvers-sur-Oise. “I love with the same love the luxuriant ocean of the opera, where the orchestra envelops you, and the intimacy of the recital, where music and poetry are one”, assures the soprano, who will be accompanied on the piano by Vanessa Garcia Diepa. At the end of June, she will return to the stage of the Bastille to embody the heroine of Romeo and Juliet by Gounod (1).
Go after your dreams and your gifts
Although she refuses to be considered a model of an “exemplary career”, the soprano admits that she “would nevertheless be honored to inspire young singers with the desire to pursue their greatest dreams. As I try to do, you have to explore and make the best use of your gifts”.
Her own desires dress up and espouse the tragic destiny of Marie Stuart according to Donizetti, a demanding and poignant role that she should take on at the San Carlo in Naples. In the longer term, she also envisages, “one day”, Norma de Bellini…
Pretty Yende divides her career between new lyrical roles and concerts where she always presents herself in spectacular outfits, admitting frankly, and with charming humor, “taking immense pleasure” in choosing the color that will best suit her program as to his state of mind.