Music
Landmark
Pretty Yende
born 1985
From a Mpumalanga township to the Met — and the King's coronation
Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the South Africa Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
She heard opera for the first time in a British Airways advert as a teenager in Piet Retief. In May 2023 she sang at the coronation of Charles III to an audience counted in billions.
Pretty Yende was born on 6 March 1985 in Piet Retief, Mpumalanga, and first heard opera in a television advertisement — the Flower Duet from Lakmé, in a British Airways commercial — deciding on the spot that it was what she would do.
She became one of the leading coloratura sopranos in the world, singing Adèle in Le comte Ory at the Metropolitan Opera and Rosina in The Barber of Seville at the Paris Opera, among many leading roles. On 6 May 2023 she performed at the coronation of King Charles III.
She became one of the leading coloratura sopranos in the world, singing Adèle in Le comte Ory at the Metropolitan Opera and Rosina in The Barber of Seville at the Paris Opera, among many leading roles. On 6 May 2023 she performed at the coronation of King Charles III.
- Wikipedia — Pretty Yende
- Classical Music — Who is Pretty Yende?
- Classic FM — Who is Pretty Yende, the South African soprano performing at the King's coronation
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