World-renowned South African soprano Pretty Yende to give solo concert in Riga

On September 18, the Great Hall of the Latvian National Opera will host a solo concert by South African soprano Pretty Yende, one of today's most celebrated opera performers. She will be accompanied by the Latvian National Opera orchestra, conducted by Spanish maestro Pablo Mielgo.

The program will feature excerpts from several classical works, including Giuseppe Verdi's operas "La forza del destino," "Il trovatore," "Nabucco" and "I vespri siciliani," Vincenzo Bellini's "Norma," Jacques Offenbach's operetta "La Vie parisienne," Charles Gounod's "Faust," Antonín Dvořák's "Rusalka," and Johann Strauss's operetta "Die Fledermaus."

Career rooted in Riga

Yende has a special connection to the Latvian National Opera: it was here that she made her debut years ago as Micaëla in Georges Bizet's "Carmen" and performed in several gala concerts before rising to international fame. Today she is a regular performer at the world's leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House in London, the Paris National Opera, the Vienna State Opera, and La Scala in Milan.

Her repertoire spans both bel canto and major roles from French and Italian opera, including Violetta in "La Traviata," Lucia in "Lucia di Lammermoor," Juliette in "Roméo et Juliette," and Adina in "L'elisir d'amore." She is a laureate of several international competitions, and her recordings are released under Sony Classical.

Conductor Pablo Mielgo has led the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra since 2014 and in 2025 took on the role of music director at Florida Grand Opera. He has worked with artists such as Juan Diego Flórez, Lise Davidsen, Khatia Buniatishvili, Pinchas Zukerman, and Emmanuel Pahud.

Tickets for the concert are available at the Latvian National Opera and Ballet box office and online.