This March, Pretty Yende makes her highly anticipated debut as Gilda in Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto at Hamburg State Opera. Alongside Yende, the production boasts an impressive cast, including George Gagnidze as Rigoletto, Matthew Polenzani as Duke of Mantua, Tigran Martirossian as Sparafucile, Marta Świderska as Maddalena, and Blake Denson as Monterone. Under the baton of conductor Stefano Ranzani, Andreas Homoki’s colorful production, which premiered in Hamburg in 1994, promises to be a visual and auditory feast for the senses.
Pretty Yende reunites with Nadine Sierra to perform an incredible program of arias and duets on tour in Switzerland, Prague, and Paris. The duo first joined together for a concert at the Vienna Konzerthaus on March 3, 2022, accompanied by the Slovak Philharmonic under the baton of Pablo Mielgo. The great success of that event has brought together these exceptional stars for three more concerts this spring.
For their first concert on February 25, they are joined by a group of exceptionally talented musicians as part of the Lauenen Chamber Concerts series in Switzerland. For more information about the concert, check out their program notes here. On March 1, they will perform at Smetana Hall in Prague, accompanied by the fantastic Prague Philharmonia under the baton of Giacomo Sagripanti. Their final performance will take place at the Philharmonie de Paris on March 6, joined by Les Frivolités Parisiennes, led by Maestro Sagripanti.
Check out this excerpt of Bellini’s Norma duet “Mira o Norma…Si, fino all’ore estreme” from their first duo concert at the Wiener Konzerthaus:
Photo: Dario Acosta
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Pretty Yende is set to reprise the role of Micaëla in Georges Bizet’s classic opera, Carmen, at Staatsoper Berlin this February. Ms. Yende first made her professional debut in the same role at Latvian National Theatre in 2010.
Alongside an impressive cast, including Gaëlle Arquez as Carmen, Stanislas de Barbeyrac as Don José, and Lucio Gallo as Escamillo, Ms. Yende will be performing in Martin de Kusej’s innovative production of this searing thriller. With Bertrand de Billy conducting the opera, audiences can expect an unforgettable musical experience.
Performing alongside Ms. Yende is Juan Diego Flórez as Tonio, Stephanie Houtzeel as Marquise de Berkenfield, Adrian Eröd as Sergeant Sulpice, Marianne Nentwich as Duchesse de Crakentorp, and Marcus Pelz as Hortensius. Michele Spotti conducts Laurent Pelly’s joyous production of Donizetti’s comic masterpiece.
This December, Pretty Yende joins the Philadelphia Orchestra for performances of Mahler’s beloved Fourth Symphony in Philadelphia and New York City under the baton of the orchestra’s music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
On December 8, 9 and 10, Ms. Yende will sing the work in Philadelphia at Verizon Hall. She will then travel to Carnegie Hall in NYC with the orchestra for a final performance of the heavenly symphony on December 13.
Photo: Kim Fox
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This November, Pretty Yende makes her highly anticipated San Francisco Opera debut as Violetta in La Traviata. Hailed by Opera News as “the people’s Violetta of the twenty-first century”, she has garnered great acclaim in this role by critics and patrons alike.
Performing alongside Ms. Yende in this sumptuous new production by Shawna Lucey is Jonathan Tetelman as Alfredo Germont and Simone Piazzola as Giorgio Germont who also make their company debuts. San Francisco Opera’s music director, Eun Sun Kim, conducts Verdi’s masterpiece.
This fall, Pretty Yende will star as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at the Paris Opera. In recent years, has made thrilling debuts with the company including as the title character of Massenet’s Manon and La traviata’s Violetta.
First seen at the 2013 Baden-Baden Easter Festival, Richard Carsen’s production approaches the work in a modern and thoughtful way with set design by Michael Levine, costume design by Petra Reinhardt, lighting design by the director and Peter Van Praet, and video projections by Martin Eidenberger. Ms. Yende will share the stage with Mauro Peter as Tamino, Huw Montague Rendall as Papageno, René Pape as Sarastro, Caroline Wettergreen as Queen of the Night, Michael Colvin as Monostatos, Margarita Polonskaya as First Lady, Marie-Andrée Bouchard-Lesieur as Second Lady, Katharina Magiera as Third Lady, Tamara Bounazou as Papagena, Martin Gantner as the Speaker, Niall Anderson as First Priest and Tobias Westman as Second Priest.
