Pretty Yende, a graduate of the South African College of Music, has brought the country’s opera singers into the spotlight by winning the prestigious Operalia Competition.
The event took place in Moscow, Russia, from 18-24 July 2011, at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre.
Operalia took place in three stages with 40 contestants selected to compete during the quarter- and semi-finals from 18 to 23 July. Only 13 contestants made it to the finals on 24 July – these included past winners, Erwin Schrott and the sensational Rolando Villazon.
Founded in 1993 to give young, early-career singers exposure on an international scale, Operalia is held in a different city each year. This year's edition was the 19th.
Pretty, the only African to compete, won the R200,000 first prize for best female singer, the R66,000 Pepita Embil Domingo Zarzuela prize and the audience favourite prize of a Rolex watch.
Plácido Domingo, world-renowned opera singer and founder of the competition, said: “My purpose in Operalia is to help identify not only the best voices, but also to discover those singers whose personalities, characters and powers of interpretation show that they have the potential to become complete artists. Individuals such as these become tomorrow’s stars. This is why the jury is not exclusively made up of great singers, but also includes general managers, stage directors and casting directors.”
The soprano, who currently resides in Milan, Italy, attributes her success to her sense of determination. Yende said: “I spent five years applying for admission and was never accepted. I, however, did not part with my dream to compete in and win Operalia.
Pretty is billed to perform at the Arts Cape Theatre in Cape Town on 4 August 2011 and will appear in four productions put on by the La Scala Opera Studio.
