“Garifulina was followed by the Young Artist of the Year, another soprano, this one 32, from South Africa and blessed with “a voice that can reach to the stars,” to quote the Washington Post. Pretty Yende had her first-ever contact with opera at age 16 and in the second half of her life thus far has gone from triumph to triumph, including a prize at this year’s International Opera Awards in London. Yende’s robust vocal gifts were on full display when she performed “Je veux vivre” from Charles Gounod’s opera “Romeo and Juliet.”
Then both young singers, splendorous in their shoulderless gowns, teamed up in a duet of “Tonight” from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story.” A more vibrant presentation of the art could hardly be imagined.”