FROM a small rural town of eMkhonto, in Mpumalanga, South Africa to Westminister Abbey, singing at the coronation of an English, an event beamed to millions around the world. This is the incredible and inspirational story of Pretty Yende, the supremely talented South African opera singer who made history by becoming the first soloist to perform at the coronation of an English monarch.
Yende, dressed in a stunning yellow Stéphane Rolland gown and Graff jewellery, wowed the global A-listers who made it to the front row to witness the coronation of King Charles III. Yende sang “Sacred Fire,” a piece written by British composer Sarah Class for the occasion. Her performance was applauded by those at the event, leaving Yende feeling like a queen.
“I really feel like I’m royalty,” she said after the performance.
Yende is no stranger to the big stage. She has sung in front of major audiences in world-class venues across Europe but felt that the coronation of King Charles was extra special.
She revealed that once she had sung her last note and the audience applauded, the enormity of the occasion got to her. Emotions overwhelmed her and she shed a tear or two.
Yende said: “I started crying the moment I came down from performing, because it suddenly dawned on me that this is the day and it happened… I tried not to cry a lot, but it was emotional for me. The feeling of it took me back to when I was five years old in the church, because that’s where I started singing. Fast forward to today, I have to pinch myself that I’m the same girl. I learned how to sing in the church, and now I’m singing in this incredible Abbey. It’s amazing.”
Yende first met King Charles when she was invited to sing at Windsor Castle by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra last year.
Months after singing at Windsor, a phone call interrupted rehearsals at the Vienna State Opera to ask the 38-year-old if she would perform at the coronation in London on May 6.
“This was my audition I guess,” said Yende, recalling the evening at Windsor during a backstage interview at the opera house.
“That was the first time I met the king,” she said. “He was very kind, very warm.”
Yende is the first African national to sing solo at a British coronation. Millions are expected to watch the televised event, likely the biggest audience in Yende’s career so far and a “dream come true”, she said.
Yende grew up singing gospel music in church in her hometown of Piet Retief in eastern South Africa. She remembers musical evenings with her family while washing dishes after dinner.
But it was during long walks to church with her asthmatic grandmother that Yende, aged five at the time, perfected her pitch.
“When we took breaks she would open the hymn book from our church and teach me these songs,” she said, recalling the fear of then being told to perform them for the congregation. “I was very shy … but I didn’t want to disappoint my grandmother.”
In 2001, aged 16, she discovered opera in a television commercial and begged a school professor to teach her.
That passion took her to Latvia and then to Italy, her base for several years. She has starred in theatres across the world and released a debut album in 2016.
At the coronation, Yende will perform “Sacred Fire”, a piece written by composer Sarah Class for the occasion.
“For me, it’s a soul’s business,” Yende said. “Whether you’re a king, a princess or just a girl from the tip of Africa singing for the coronation of the king.”
