International Opera Star Pumeza Matshikiza Will Have Recital at the Rand City

SITTOPERA ™ will present Champagne and Opera with Magnificent Matshikiza, a recital by South African lyric soprano Pumeza Matshikiza to be held at the Rand Club Ballroom in Johannesburg on Friday 12 November 2021. She will be accompanied on piano by Marnus Greyling.

Stuttgart-based rising opera star Pumeza Matshikiza is described by many as one of the most exciting voices on the professional operatic circuit. An exclusive Decca Classics recording artist, she already has two albums under her belt - "Voice of Hope" (debut) featuring arias and traditional and popular African songs, and "Arias" that showcases operatic roles from Purcell to Puccini as arranged art songs by Faure, Hahn and Tosti.

A multi award winning singer, Pumeza has graced many great stages across the continents, notably Teatro alla Scala in Milan. She has performed several times with mega stars such as Josh Groban in South Africa and with tenor Rolando Villazón across Europe and as far as Moscow. Pumeza also sang at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to a global audience of one billion.

Pumeza Matshikiza studied at the University of Cape Town's College of Music where she graduated cum laude under Professor Virginia Davids. Thereafter she won a full scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London, again graduating cum laude, this time for a post Master's Degree. Still in London, she was one of the six young artists chosen to join The Royal Opera House's Young Artist Programme. While there she made her debut as a flower maiden in Parsifal,among other roles. She has been with the Stuttgart Opera in Germany since 2011as a full time soloist and roles there include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and Mimi in La Bohème. In 2010 she was awarded first prize in the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition and became an Associate Artist of the Classical Opera Company, singing the title role in Mozart's Zaide for which she was awarded with the Patrick Fyffe-Dame Hilda Brackett Prize.

For Stuttgart Opera's 21/22 season Pumeza makes her house and role debut as Fox in Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixenat the English National Opera (ENO) in London. Additionally she will appear at the ENO as Moira in the world premiere of The Handmaid's Tale, written by Poul Ruders.

Vienna-born opera and classic music events organiser Harald Sitta of SITTOPERA ™ has approximately one hundred classical music artists in his portfolio, from singers to pianists, instrumentalists and conductors, and he has managed opera events at the Rand club since 2018 under the auspices of the 'Fine talents & rising stars' series. "We concentrate on presenting young and established South African singers and instrumentalists," he says, "and take great pleasure in being able to give rising stars the opportunity to shine at our events. South Africa possesses a multitude of great talent worthy of professional support."

Pumeza is currently in South Africa for her Rand Club recital. After her time here she will appear in a special New Year's Eve concert with WDR Funkhausorchester in Cologne with the Essen Philaharmonic and Daniel Hope.

Champagne and Opera with Magnificent Matshikiza takes place on Friday 12 November 2021 at 18h30 at the Rand Club in Marshalltown, Johannesburg. Tickets cost R260 for members and R350 for the general public,available through Quicket: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/153980-champagne-and-opera-with-magnificent-matshikiza/#/tickets. For upcoming events visit www.sittopera.com.