Pretty Yende on how an advert changed her life

13 May 2014, 17:36

The South African soprano explains how the power of opera inspired her to embark on a brand new career.

With so many musical achievements under her belt, from training at La Scala, Milan, to winning Plácido Domingo's prestigious Operalia competition, it's hard to believe Pretty Yende had never heard of opera until 2001.

After listening to the Flower Duet by Lakmé on the British Airways advert, Pretty abandoned her dream to become an accountant and dived head first into the world of opera. In this in-depth interview with Classic FM's Anne-Marie Minhall, Pretty explains the magic of discovering the genre for the first time.

"Those ten seconds gave me the whole world of classical music, the richness of the music, the limitless power of that music," she said. "I didn't even know it was humanly possible, it sounded so supernatural to me."

Pretty Yende speaks to Classic FM's Anne-Marie Minhall