By Levy Masiteng
Opera legend Mimi Coertse has died at the age of 93, according to reports. She died at her home in Pretoria on Monday night.
Born in Durban in 1932, Coertse became one of South Africa’s most celebrated classical singers and was regarded as the country’s first operatic prima donna.
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She made her Vienna State Opera debut on 17 March 1956 as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, the role that helped establish her international reputation.
Coertse went on to sing the role more than 500 times at major European opera centres and festivals.
She remained closely associated with the Vienna State Opera for more than two decades, although she returned permanently to South Africa in 1973 and continued to perform in Austria as a guest artist until the late 1970s.
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Her artistry earned her the honorary title of Kammersängerin from the Austrian government in 1966, cementing her place among the world’s elite opera performers.
Back in South Africa, Coertse devoted much of her later career to developing young talent, including through the Black Tie Ensemble, which she founded with Neels Hansen to help young classical singers bridge the gap between training and the professional stage.
Her legacy endures not only in her recordings and performances but in the generations of South African artists she helped inspire.
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