Pretty Yende performs at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, in 2019.
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Singing at King Charles III’s coronation tells a story of global histories coming full circle.
Soprano Pretty Yende has been chosen to perform at the coronation of UK monarch King Charles III.
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Performing at the coronation of King Charles III will be just one of many firsts for the activist soprano.
Sibongile Khumalo performing in London in 2009.
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She was the glue that bound younger artists together, helping them navigate the volatile terrain of the music industry.
Sibongile Khumalo performing in New York, 2007.
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Both choirs and classical music were childhood influences on a stellar career that would leave behind major new recordings in these areas.
Sibongile Khumalo in New York in 2014, alongside McCoy Mrubata on tenor saxophone.
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She was a vocalist who sang in every style – from Carmen to UShaka – with equal mastery, popularising classical forms and epitomising ‘the new South Africa’.
South African soprano Pretty Yende (L) & Mexican tenor Javier Camarena during a rehearsal of ‘I puritani’ in Spain, 2018.
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Realism and addressing pressing contemporary South African societal issues have been the focus of local opera since 1995.