South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza, an exclusive Decca Artist since 2014, has performed at many of the leading opera houses across Europe and the United States and has released two solo recordings with Decca: Voice of Hope, her debut album combining well-known arias with traditional and popular African songs, and Arias. Throughout her career Pumeza has championed numerous contemporary operatic works.
This past summer Pumeza performed in a concert in Paris’s Olympia Hall under the auspices of Le Festival de Paris and a world premiere of Jake Heggie’s Good Morning, Beauty at the Barbican in London as part of Classic Pride UK.
Her 24/25 season engagements include concerts with Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov in Bucharest, Budapest and Paris, a Christmas tour around the UK with Bryn Terfel, Tippett’s A Child of our Time with the Royal College of Music under the baton of Martyn Brabbins, solo recital at Paris' Le Théâtre de l'OEuvre and her debut with the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl.
In recent seasons Pumeza has won critical acclaim in the title role of Aida (a role debut) at Staatsoper Hannover, as Mařenka in Smetana’s The Bartered Bride at the Garsington Opera and as the Fox in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen at the English National Opera. Further highlights of her recent career have included her debuts as both Bess and Serena in a new production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at Theater an der Wien, as well as concerts in London, Germany, South Africa and a European tour with Rolando Villazón. Dvořák’s Rusalka has quickly become one of her signature roles – after her acclaimed debut at Stadttheater Klagenfurt, in 2018, she performed the part in new productions in Strasbourg and Antwerp. In another favourite role, Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème, she made her first US appearance with The Dallas Opera and her debuts at both Semperoper Dresden and Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. She made her debut at Teatro alla Scala in the world premiere of Giorgio Battistelli’s CO2, staged by Robert Carsen.
Pumeza Matshikiza spent five years as an ensemble member of Staatsoper Stuttgart, where her numerous lead roles have included Micaёla Carmen, Susanna Le nozze di Figaro, Ännchen Der Freischütz, Zerlina Don Giovanni, and Pamina Die Zauberflöte.
