imported>Minette Pearce at 12:21, 24 July 2025

2025-07-24T12:21:45Z

New page

{{short description|South African soprano|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}

{{Infobox person
| name = Mimi Coertse, [[Decoration for Meritorious Services|DMS]]
| birth_name = Maria Sophia Coertse
| image = Mimi Coertse Wien.JPG
| caption = Mimi Coertse in Vienna
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1932|06|12}}
| birth_place = [[Durban]], [[Natal Province|Natal]], [[Union of South Africa]]
| nationality = [[South African citizenship]]
| education = [[Helpmekaar Kollege]]
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| years_active =
| occupation = Opera singer (Soprano)
| spouse = Dawid Engela (1953-57)<br>Diego Brighi (1965-69)<br>Werner Ackerman (1970-1994)
| children = 2 (adopted)
| signature =
}}

'''Maria Sophia (Mimi) Coertse''', [[Decoration for Meritorious Services|DMS]] (born 12 June 1932) is a South African [[soprano]].

On 26 January 2020, Mimi was also inaugurated as a living legend in the South African Legends Museum. She was one of only 20 South African legends of whom a bust was also made.

==Early life==

Coertse, born in [[Durban]], matriculated at the [[Helpmekaar Kollege|Helpmekaar Girls High School]] in [[Johannesburg]].<ref name=Burg01/>{{rp|5}} She began vocal studies in South Africa in 1949.<ref name="rosenthalwarrack">H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera'' (OUP, London 1974 printing).</ref> Her first vocal coach in Johannesburg was Aimee Parkerson.<ref name="IOL01">{{cite news|url=http://www.iol.co.za/entertainment/celebrity-news/international/onse-mimi-coertse---a-formidable-woman-1317038|title='Onse' Mimi Coertse - a formidable woman|work=IOL|date=12 June 2012|accessdate=6 August 2017|author=de Beer, Diane}}</ref>

Her debut performance in South Africa was singing Handel's ''[[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]]'' at the [[Johannesburg City Hall]] on 11 December 1951.<ref name=IOL01/> In July 1953 she married broadcaster and composer [[Dawid Engela]].<ref name=Burg01/>{{rp|5}} She left South Africa in September 1953 for London, and then went via [[The Hague]] to [[Vienna]]. In January 1954 she started training with Maria Hittorff and [[Josef Witt]].<ref name=IOL01/>

==Opera career==
Coertse made her debut in January 1955 as the "first flower girl" in [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]]'s ''[[Parsifal]]'' at the [[Teatro San Carlo]] in [[Naples]], [[Karl Böhm]] conducting. She also sang in [[Basel]] at the Teatro San Carlo. On 17 March 1956 she made her debut at the [[Vienna State Opera]] as the Queen of the Night in ''[[Die Zauberflöte]]'' by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] and remained with the Vienna State Opera until 1978.<ref name=Burg01/> Her [[Royal Opera House|Covent Garden]] debut was in 1956, in the same role.<ref name="rosenthalwarrack"/>

Her roles were limited in the United Kingdom as the [[Equity (trade union)|Equity]] boycott of South Africa due to [[Apartheid]], prevented its members from having anything to do with South Africa's entertainment industry.<ref name=IOL01/>
[[File:Mimi Coertse Johannesburg.JPG|thumb|180px|Mimi Coertse in Johannesburg, next to a sculpture depicting her]]
Coertse sang the soprano part in [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]]'s ''[[Matthäus-Passion]]'' at [[Fritz Wunderlich]]'s first appearance in Vienna in 1958, when he performed the tenor arias with [[Julius Patzak]] singing the [[Four Evangelists|Evangelist]]. In 1958, Coertse and Fritz Wunderlich again worked together at the [[Aix-en-Provence]] festival in ''Die Zauberflöte''.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}

In 1965, she sang Konstanze in ''[[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]]'' at the Vienna State Opera which also featured Fritz Wunderlich as Belmonte. In 1966, Mimi was honoured by the President of Austria with the title ''Österreichischer Kammersänger'', for her ten years of work as a permanent member at the Vienna State Opera.<ref name=Burg01/>{{rp|5}}

Her repertoire also includes:

* ''[[Zauberflöte|The Magic Flute]]'' ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]) – Queen of the night
* ''[[Die Entführung aus dem Serail|Il Seraglio]]'' ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]) – Constance
* ''[[Ariadne auf Naxos]]'' ([[Richard Strauss]]) – Najade, later Zerbinetta
* ''[[Rigoletto (opera)|Rigoletto]]'' ([[Giuseppe Verdi]]) – Gilda
* ''[[Les contes d'Hoffmann|The Tales of Hoffmann]]'' ([[Jacques Offenbach]]) – Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta, Stella
* ''[[Palestrina (opera)|Palestrina]]'' ([[Hans Pfitzner]]) – the Angel
* ''[[Carmen]]'' ([[Georges Bizet]]) – Frasquita
* ''[[Martha (opera)|Martha]]'' ([[Friedrich von Flotow]]) – Martha
* ''[[Mignon]]'' ([[Ambroise Thomas]]) – Philine
* ''[[La traviata]]'' ([[Giuseppe Verdi]]) – Violetta
* ''[[I Pagliacci]]'' ([[Ruggiero Leoncavallo]]) – Nedda
* ''[[Arabella]]'' ([[Richard Strauss]]) – Fiaker-Milli
* ''[[Bastien und Bastienne]]'' ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]) – Bastienne
* ''[[The Merry Widow]]'' ([[Franz Lehár]]) – Hanna Glawari
* ''[[Lucia di Lammermoor]]'' ([[Gaetano Donizetti]]) – Lucia
* ''[[Die Fledermaus]]'' ([[Johann Strauss II]]) – Rosalinde
* ''[[L'heure espagnole]]'' ([[Maurice Ravel]]) – Concepcion, staging [[Otto Schenk]]
* ''[[Don Giovanni]]'' ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]) – Donna Elvira
* ''[[La bohème]]'' ([[Giacomo Puccini]]) – Musetta
* ''[[Norma (opera)|Norma]]'' ([[Vincenzo Bellini]]) – Norma
* ''[[Così fan tutte]]'' ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]) – Fiordiligi
* ''[[Falstaff (opera)|Falstaff]]'' ([[Giuseppe Verdi]]) – Mrs. Alice Ford
* ''[[Turandot]]'' ([[Giacomo Puccini]]) – Liu, a young slave
* ''[[Don Giovanni]]'' ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]) – Donna Anna
* ''[[Die schweigsame Frau]]'' ([[Richard Strauss]]) – Aminta, Timida 1968 Premiere Vienna State Opera, staging [[Hans Hotter]]
* ''[[Die ägyptische Helena]]'' ([[Richard Strauss]]) – Aithra
* ''[[Daphne (opera)|Daphne]]'' ([[Richard Strauss]]) – Daphne
* ''[[Don Carlos]]'' ([[Giuseppe Verdi]]) – Elisabeth von Valois

==Later years==

Since returning to South Africa in 1973, she has been a regular guest on South African stages and also a frequent broadcaster on radio and television. She returned to the Vienna State Opera for a single farewell performance as Elisabetta in Don Carlo on 14 December 1978.

In recent years, she has devoted her time to exposing young South African singers to the neglected art of [[Lieder]] singing which can be artistically even more demanding than opera singing. Her support for her fellow South African musicians has been outstanding – as may be witnessed in her ''Debut with Mimi'' and through the ''Mimi Coertse Bursary''.

In 1996, Austria's Federal Ministry for Science and Art awarded her the [[Austrian Decoration for Science and Art]] (Austrian Honour, first class) honour, the highest honour an artist can receive in that country.<ref name=Parl01/>

In 1998, she received an honorary doctorate from the [[University of Pretoria]] and another in 2013 from the [[University of South Africa|Unisa]].<ref name=Burg01/> In 2002 she would receive the Golden Rathausmann from the mayor of Vienna.<ref name=Burg01/>

In 1998, Coertse and Neels Hansen founded ''The Black Tie Ensemble'', a development project which enables young, classically trained singers to bridge the gap between training and professional performance.<ref name="IOL02">{{cite news|url=http://www.iol.co.za/entertainment/music/opera-in-limbo-facing-reality-of-funds-1748042|title=Opera in limbo, facing reality of funds|work=IOL|date=9 September 2014|accessdate=6 August 2017|author=de Beer, Diane}}</ref>

This project has developed into the most exciting classical singing ensemble in South Africa, and is now on the brink of becoming a vibrant, new, young opera company. A project for future stars of Africa! The Ensemble, sponsored by [[Sappi]], performs operas at the [[State Theatre, South Africa|State Theatre]] ([[Pretoria]]), [[Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden]] (Johannesburg) and the [[Joburg Theatre|Civic Theatre]] (Johannesburg).{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}

On 26 January 2020, Mimi was also inaugurated as a living legend in the South African Legends Museum. She was one of only 20 South African legends of whom a bust was made.

== Personal life ==

Coertse was married three times. Coertse's first marriage was to South African composer Dawid Engela in 1953 but the marriage ended in divorce in 1957.<ref name=Burg01/>{{rp|5}} Her second marriage was to Italian businessman Diego Brighi in 1965 but this marriage ended in divorce in 1969.<ref name=Burg01/>{{rp|5}} Her last marriage was to a South African businessman, Werner Ackerman, in 1970 and lasted until 1994.<ref name=Burg01/>{{rp|5}} After five miscarriages, she adopted a son and daughter, Werner and Mia.<ref name=Burg01/>

==Honours and awards==

* 1961: Medal of Honour of the South African Academy for Science and Art (''[[Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns]]'') {{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
* 1966: Title of ''[[Kammersängerin]]''<ref name="Burg01">{{cite news|title=My lewe het verloop soos dit moet, se Mimi|work=Die Burger|date=5 August 2017|author=Teresa Coetzee}}</ref>{{rp|5}}
* 1985: [[Decoration for Meritorious Services]] (South Africa) in recognition of her contribution to the Arts<ref name=Burg01/>{{rp|5}}
* August 1996: [[Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art]]<ref name="Parl01">{{cite web|url=http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/AB/AB_10542/imfname_251156.pdf|title=Reply to a parliamentary question|accessdate=25 January 2013|page=1067|language=German}}</ref>
* 1998: Honorary Doctor of Philosophy (h.c.) from the [[University of Pretoria]], South Africa<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://whoswho.co.za/maria-coertse-3964|title=Maria Coertse|website=whoswho.co.za|access-date=9 January 2018}}</ref>{{rp|5}}
* 2002: Golden "Rathausmann"<ref name=Burg01/>{{rp|5}}
* In 2004: Voted 45th in the [[SABC3's Great South Africans|Top 100 Great South Africans]]{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
* In 2008: Mimi Coertse Museum van Afrikaans opened at [http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.huis_vir_afrikaanse_poesie_cc.0b13f9c92a13e408.html HAP - Huis van Afrikaanse Poësie] in Capital Park, Pretoria.<ref name=Burg01/>{{rp|5}}
* 2012: 1 July–30 September: special exhibition in [[Vienna State Opera|Staatsoper]] museum Vienna: "Mimi Coertse, a Viennese woman from South Africa"{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
* 2020: Inaugurated as a living legend in the South African Legends Museum. She was one of only 20 legends from whom a bust was also made.

==References==

{{reflist}}

==Literature==

{{commons category}}

* Helmuth Furch, 'Die Wiener Jahre von Kammersängerin Mimi Coertse,' ('The Viennese years of Kammersängerin Mimi Coertse'), ''Bulletin of Museums- und Kulturverein Kaisersteinbruch'' No. 41, 20–56, March 1996: also 'Mimi Coertse, die hochgeschätzte Konzert- und Liedsängerin' ('A reverence for a great Concert- and Lieder-singer'), ''ibid.'' No. 52, 33–54, December 1998.
* Helmuth Furch, Eva Hilda Smolik and Elfriede Werthan, ''Kammersängerin Mimi Coertse, eine Wienerin aus Südafrika'' (''Kammersängerin Mimi Coertse, a Viennese woman from South Africa'') (with a preface by [[Marcel Prawy]]), (Vienna 2002).

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coertse, Mimi}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from Durban]]
[[Category:Afrikaans-language singers of South Africa]]
[[Category:Afrikaner people]]
[[Category:20th-century South African women opera singers]]
[[Category:South African operatic sopranos]]
[[Category:University of Pretoria alumni]]
[[Category:Classical music radio presenters]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art]]
[[Category:Österreichischer Kammersänger]]
[[Category:South African radio presenters]]
[[Category:South African women radio presenters]]
[[Category:20th-century South African opera singers]]

Mimi Coertse - Revision history

imported>Minette Pearce at 12:21, 24 July 2025