Pumeza Essentials

Were it not for her chance encounter with opera while station-surfing through the radio, the world might not know the incredible talents of South Africa's Pumeza Matshikiza. The lyric soprano first made that discovery as a child during apartheid, but it wasn't until years later, after learning both European and African music by ear in church, that she would bring her incomparable voice outside of Cape Town. A scholarship to London's Royal College of Music set Pumeza on a path that included signing to Decca for her 2014 debut, Voice of Hope, which found her singing Mozart and Puccini arias alongside Zulu, Xhosa, and Swahili songs. Hear her revolutionize the opera world with these remarkable songs.