SINGING IN THE NEW YEAR: South African opera star Pretty Yende sings famous arias with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra at Richardson Auditorium on January 14 and 15. (Photo by Elena Cherkashyna)

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) begins 2023 with South African soprano Pretty Yende. Yende, whose introduction to opera at 16 was through a TV commercial, will perform arias from Gioachino Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) and Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata as well as Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915.

Under the direction of Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov, the PSO will play overtures from operas by Rossini and Verdi, plus Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Performances are on Saturday, January 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, January 15 at 4 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium.

Other guest artists appearing with the PSO in 2023 include pianist Inon Barnatan (February 4-5), guest conductor Sameer Patel and violinist William Harvey (Seven Decisions of Gandhi — world premiere — March 11-12), and violist Roberto Díaz (May 13-14). The PSO’s 2023 Princeton Festival (June 9-25) will include an opera, orchestral concerts, chamber music, Broadway tunes, a Baroque performance, and much more.

“Opera provides us with an incredible range of storytelling featuring powerful music and beautiful arias, many of which stand on their own as perfect
musical vignettes,” said Milanov. “In Pretty Yende, we have a fantastic soprano who sings from the soul, bringing heartfelt interpretation to every note.”

The January program also serves as a preview of the 2023 Princeton Festival in June as The Barber of Seville is the centerpiece of this year’s event at Morven Museum & Garden.

Yende debuted at the Latvian National Theater in Riga as Micaëla in Carmen, after which she performed in major international theaters including the Royal Opera House, Opéra National de Paris, Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, La Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Wiener Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, and Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

Recent successes include her Metropolitan debut as Countess Adèle in Le comte Ory, Maria in La fille du régiment, and roles such as Rosina, Adina, Lucia, Juliette, Elvira, and Pamina. She made her debut at the Opéra National de Paris as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, followed by a new production of La traviata staged by Simon Stone, and a return as Lucia di Lammermoor. Additionally, last season she made her debut with four heroines in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía. Highlights on the concert stage include her Carnegie Hall recital, and concerts in Switzerland, Spain, Austria, South Africa, Germany, Italy, France, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, U.K., and U.S.

Prior to the Pretty Yende concert weekend, Austin Stewart explores James Agee and Samuel Barber’s approaches to coloring in their own childhood memories with Knoxville: Summer of 1915. The PSO Soundtracks presentation, titled “Knoxville and the Lost Generation,” takes place on Thursday, January 12 at 7 p.m. at the Princeton Public Library’s Community Room. It is free and open to the public.

Tickets for all Princeton Symphony Orchestra orchestral concerts range from $30-112; youth 5-17 half-price. For concert tickets and information about the Princeton Festival, visit princetonsymphony.org or call (609) 497-0020.