The young South African soprano Vuvu Mpofu is already entering the international spotlight with her shimmering vocal quality and technique, boundless musicality, and authentic stage presence. Not yet 30, the singer is winning plaudits on the worlds’s stages for the warmth, elegance, and verve she brings to virtuosic coloratura repertoire. In 2019, she was awarded the prestigious John Christie Award at the Glyndebourne Festival, and she is also a recent prizewinner at the Operalia Competition and the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition.

Further upcoming engagements include her debut for Washington National Opera as Gilda; her role and house debut as Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore at Seattle Opera; her role debut as Violetta La Traviata in a new production for Saint Gallen and Leila Le pêcheurs de Perles for Cape Town Opera; Vuvu also looks forward to returning to the Vlaamse Oper; the Glyndebourne Festival, and to her debut with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Mozartwoche in Salzburg, with Robin Ticciati.

A graduate of the University of Cape Town and a former member of the Cape Town Opera Studio, she has appeared with Cape Town Opera as Gilda Rigoletto; Rosina Il barbiere di Siviglia; Micaela Carmen and Pamina Die Zauberflöte. 

In the 2019/20 season, Vuvu returned to Glyndebourne as Gilda in a new production of Rigoletto; she will made her debut for Oper Köln as Corinna Il viaggio a Reims conducted by Riccardo Frizza; and sang Astarte Der Schmied von Gent (Schreker) in a new production for the Vlaamse Oper and on the concert platform she will made her debut with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester at the Philharmonie, Berlin with Robin Ticciati.

Born in in the small town of Piet Retief, South African soprano Pretty Yende has risen to the top of the opera world with unparalleled speed…

With her magnetic charm, acclaimed operatic and solo performances worldwide, and a critically lauded discography, South African soprano Pretty Yende has quickly become one of the brightest stars of the classical music world.

Since making her professional operatic debut at the Latvian National Theatre in Riga as Micaela in Carmen, she 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.

This 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. She will also appear for the first time at The Dallas Opera as Rosina in Christopher Mattaliano’s colorful production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

On the concert stage, Ms. Yende embarks on a solo recital tour, making stops at Oper Frankfurt, the Opernhaus Zürich, Smetana Hall in Prague, and the Barbican in London, and Carnegie Hall in New York. Further concert engagements include appearances with the Würth Philharmonic Orchestra, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, and in Bratislava and Grafenegg.

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.

The young South African soprano Vuvu Mpofu is already entering the international spotlight with her shimmering vocal quality and technique, boundless musicality, and authentic stage presence. Not yet 30, the singer is winning plaudits on the worlds’s stages for the warmth, elegance, and verve she brings to virtuosic coloratura repertoire. In 2019, she was awarded the prestigious John Christie Award at the Glyndebourne Festival, and she is also a recent prizewinner at the Operalia Competition and the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition.

Further upcoming engagements include her debut for Washington National Opera as Gilda; her role and house debut as Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore at Seattle Opera; her role debut as Violetta La Traviata in a new production for Saint Gallen and Leila Le pêcheurs de Perles for Cape Town Opera; Vuvu also looks forward to returning to the Vlaamse Oper; the Glyndebourne Festival, and to her debut with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Mozartwoche in Salzburg, with Robin Ticciati.

A graduate of the University of Cape Town and a former member of the Cape Town Opera Studio, she has appeared with Cape Town Opera as Gilda Rigoletto; Rosina Il barbiere di Siviglia; Micaela Carmen and Pamina Die Zauberflöte. 

In the 2019/20 season, Vuvu returned to Glyndebourne as Gilda in a new production of Rigoletto; she will made her debut for Oper Köln as Corinna Il viaggio a Reims conducted by Riccardo Frizza; and sang Astarte Der Schmied von Gent (Schreker) in a new production for the Vlaamse Oper and on the concert platform she will made her debut with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester at the Philharmonie, Berlin with Robin Ticciati.

Pretty Yende

Born in in the small town of Piet Retief, South African soprano Pretty Yende has risen to the top of the opera world with unparalleled speed…

With her magnetic charm, acclaimed operatic and solo performances worldwide, and a critically lauded discography, South African soprano Pretty Yende has quickly become one of the brightest stars of the classical music world.

Since making her professional operatic debut at the Latvian National Theatre in Riga as Micaela in Carmen, she 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.

This 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. She will also appear for the first time at The Dallas Opera as Rosina in Christopher Mattaliano’s colorful production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

On the concert stage, Ms. Yende embarks on a solo recital tour, making stops at Oper Frankfurt, the Opernhaus Zürich, Smetana Hall in Prague, and the Barbican in London, and Carnegie Hall in New York. Further concert engagements include appearances with the Würth Philharmonic Orchestra, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, and in Bratislava and Grafenegg.

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.

Omo Bello

After five years of studying Cell Biology and Genetics at the university in her native country, The French Nigerian soprano Omo Bello entirely devoted herself to music, studying at the Conservatoire de Paris – CNSMDP. She holds a diploma in singing performance from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London (ABRSM) and has gained enormously from the musical and technical counsels of Jorge Chaminé, Teresa Berganza, Thomas Quasthoff and Grace Bumbry. In 2014, Omo Bello was nominated for the “Victoires de la musique classique” awards in the “Lyrical Revelation of the Year” category (the “French Grammy’s”), and she triumphed at the Paris International Opera Competition, winning the 1st prize, the French opera prize and the Public prize. In 2013, she was awarded with Italy’s prestigious international Arca d’Oro prize. In Italy, she also won the 1st Prize in the Luciano Pavarotti Giovani 2010 competition (thus lauded by the Italian press critic Gianni Gori as «a talent of Gold! »), and also won the 1st prize in the 2011 Anselmo Colzani international singing competition.

Since 2006, she had her first successes in Toulouse with the Mozart repertoire, taking on the role of Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro), under the artistic direction of Gabriel Bacquier. She then sang the roles of Solis (Magdalena) by Villa-Lobos at the Theatre du Châtelet, La Jeune Femme d’Hara Kei (Soie) by Yves Prin, for its world premiere at the Théâtre du Rond Point, as well as Female Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia) by Britten with the CNSMDP, Silvia (L’Isola Disabitata) by Manuel Garcia at the Auditorium of the CNR of Nice and Eurydice (Orphée et Eurydice) by Gluck at the St Petersburg state theatre for opera and ballet.

Omo Bello made her debut in the role of Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro) at the 2012 Verbier Festival, and then went on tour with the Opera de Montpellier, performing the same role in 2012/13. She made her debut as Juliette (Roméo et Juliette) by Gounod on tour with Opera de Tours and Jeanne (La Vivandière) by Benjamin Godard at the Festival de Radio France et de Montpellier. In concert, she performs with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Orchestre national de France, the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, and the Orchestre de Paris. She sings regularly as a soloist in numerous concerts and recitals in France and abroad (Exsultate, Jubilate by Mozart, the Concerto for Soprano and Orchestra by Gliere, the Stabat Mater and the Salve Regina by Pergolesi, the 4th symphony by Mahler, Des Knaben Wunderhorn by Mahler at the Salle Pleyel, Le Nubi non Scoppiano per il Peso by Mauro Lanza, which had its world premier at the Theatre des Bouffes du Nord, followed by the Ultima Festival in Oslo, Petite messe solennelle by Rossini at the Opera de Montpellier, as well as Egmont by Beethoven at the Theatre des Champs-Elysées.

Pumeza Matshikiza (born 27 February 1979) is a South-African operatic soprano. A graduate of the Royal College of Music and a member of the Royal Opera‘s Jette Parker Young Artists Programme from 2007 to 2009, she made her début as a flower maiden in Parsifal and has gone on to sing leading soprano roles with Stuttgart Opera. Matshikiza has released two solo albums on the Decca Classics label.

Matshikiza was born in Lady Frere, South Africa. She studied at the University of Cape Town College of Music, graduated cum laude under Professor Virginia Davids, then at the Royal College of Music, London, with a full three-year scholarship and in the Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where she made her début as a flower maiden in Parsifal. Winner of the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition in Dublin in 2010, Pumeza later joined the Stuttgart Opera, where she has been part of the full-time ensemble since 2011, performing Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Mimì in La bohème, Micaëla in Carmen