Kudzai Mhangwa is a writer, actor and musician. He writes poetry, plays, essays and short stories. His work has been featured on House of Mutapa, Atrebla Magazine, Ka'edi Africa, Poetry Soup and elsewhere.
3 mins
Back in 2023 a vision in a canary yellow gown serenaded King Charles the third and his Queen Camilla as they ascended the throne to become Britain’s monarchs. This event may have seemed almost unimaginable for the singer, Pretty Yende. Her performance consequently made her the first solo African performer to perform at the coronation of a British monarch.
As a young girl, Yende thought that she would become an accountant, but she saw a television commercial in which featured opera music. Music was not foreign to the young South African who participated in choir both at school and church choirs but after learning about opera, she decided to pursue it as a career.
Yende enrolled at the University of Cape Town’s college of music, the South Africa College of Music (SACM) then eventually trained at the La Scala Academy in Milan in 2010. Since she hit the stage, she has performed at opera houses across the world including La Scala, the Royal Opera House, Opera National de Paris and the New York Metropolitan Opera.
Not only has she performed in the most prestigious opera house across the world, but she has also taken the leading roles in the operas staged. She has performed in some of the most famous operas such as Carmen, The Tales of Hoffman, Semele, The Barber of Seville, Manon, The Magic Flute, Aida, Romeo et Juliette, LaTraviata and more. Yende has also shared the staged with famed musicians such as fellow opera luminary Nadine Sierra, Rene Fleming and Andrea Bocelli.
Images from Westminster Abbey – Copyright of the BBC Sacred Fire ~ Composed & Arranged by Sarah Class Lyrics by Grahame Davies Performed by Pretty Yende and the Coronation Orchestra
In 2016 she released debut album titled “A Journey” and in 2017 followed it up with “Dreams”. She was also appointed an ambassador for the luxury brand Dior. The gifted musician who hails from Piet Retief’s work has not gone unrecognized; in 2012 she won the Arca d’oro Italia Young Talents Award, the Silver Order of Ikhamanga from her native South Africa, 2013 Mbokodo Award for Opera and was knighted by the Order of the Star of Italy in 2019. Yende is not only a shining example of how far a dream can carry you but also stands as an example of fulling one’s purpose in life which is what makes a true African luminary.
Oh my, she is super talented. I’m a big fan of hers