Pretty Yende

Since making her professional operatic debut at the Latvian National Theatre in Riga as Micaela in »Carmen«, Pretty Yende has been seen at nearly all of the major theaters of the world, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Opéra National de Paris, Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Opernhaus Zürich and Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. A 2011 graduate of the Young Artists Accademia of the Teatro alla Scala, Yende made her debut with the company in 2010 as Berenice in Rossini's »L'Occasione fa il Ladro«. In 2010, she became the first artist in the history of the Belvedere competition to win top prize in every category, and went on to win First Prize in the Operalia Competition in 2011. Recent highlights include her acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut, stepping in as the Countess Adele in »Le Comte Ory«; her role and house debut as Marie in »La Fille du régiment« at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville; debuts at Opéra national de Paris as Rosina in »Il barbiere di Siviglia«, the Gran Teatre del Liceu as Norina in »Don Pasquale«, with the Los Angeles Opera as Micaëla in »Carmen«, at Staatsoper Hamburg as Fiorilla in »Il turco in Italia«, and her debut at the Theater an der Wien as Countess Adèle. Additional highlights include Rosina, Adina, the title role of »Lucia di Lammermoor«, Juliette in »Roméo et Juliette«, Elvira in »I puritani«, Pamina in »Die Zauberflöte« at the Met; Adina at the Royal Opera House; Lucia at the Opéra national de Paris and Deutsche Oper Berlin; Adina at the Staatsoper Berlin; Pamina at the Grand Théâtre de Genève; Elvira at Opernhaus Zürich; Susanna in »Le nozze di Figaro« at Los Angeles Opera; Countess Adèle and Musetta in »La Bohème« at Teatro alla Scala; her role debut as Teresa in »Benvenuto Cellini« in Paris; and» Lucia di Lammermoor« in concert at the Cape Town Opera. Ms. Yende began the 2018/19 season with her return to Barcelona as Elvira in »I puritani«. She returned to The Metropolitan Opera as Marie in »La Fille du regiment«, and sang her first Leïla in »Les Pêcheurs de perles«, receiving critical acclaim from the New York Times: »In the role of Leïla, suppressed erotic longing is sublimated into pure vocalism lavishly ornamented with arabesques and grace notes.« Shortly thereafter, she appeared at the Opéra national de Paris as Norina in »Don Pasquale«, portrayed her first Amina in »La sonnambula« at Opernhaus Zürich, and returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper to sing the title role of »Lucia di Lammermoor« and as Adina in »L'elisir d'amore«. Last season, Pretty Yende returns to Paris for two highly anticipated role debuts: Violetta in a new production of »La Traviata« by Simon Stone, and the title role in »Manon«, featuring a new production by Vincent Huguet.