Pretty Yende On Performing at the Coronation of King Charles III

Original Story Published by: Nadia Neophytou, www.okayafrica.com
Photo Source: Pretty Yende

(Above) Pretty Yende is slated to perform as part of the crowning ceremony of King Charles III next month at London’s Westminster Abbey

Pretty Yende has performed in some of the most esteemed operas around the world, and on May 6th, the South African soprano will sing for her biggest audience yet as part of the royal family’s crowning of the king.

Ten years ago, Pretty Yende made her debut in Rossini’s Le comte Ory on the stage of New York’s Metropolitan Opera. It was a memorable entrance, considering she fell down during it, but since then, the South African soprano has endeared herself to fans around the world. She’s performed many of opera’s leading roles, including Rosina in The Barber of Seville at the Paris Opera, and sung in the hallowed halls of La Scala and the Royal Opera House. In March this year, she took on Gilda in Guiseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Vienna Opera House.

For Yende, who was born in Mpumalanga in South Africa and wanted to become an opera singer after hearing Lakme’s ‘The Flower Duet’ in a British Airways advert as a child, her journey – the “Pretty Journey,” as she calls it – has been going for more than a decade. It’s been 22 years since she first began investing in her voice and her career. “It’s from the moment I said, ‘Teach me,’” she tells OkayAfrica, in an interview over Zoom. “That was the first step because after that I could not look back.” Studying at the South African College of Music, Yende still remembers teachers like Virgina Davids, who first guided her.

Now, she is set to take on her next big part in May, when she performs for King Charles III as part of the Coronation. There is much fanfare planned for the occasion that includes a concert the next day. It hasn’t yet been revealed who’ll be playing at that, but according to reports, the likes of Adele and Elton John turned down requests to perform due to scheduling conflicts.

Yende spoke to OkayAfrica about preparing for the high-profile event, why she wanted to be involved, and the Hollywood dreams she still wants to tackle.