She was born on the 12th of June 1932 in Durban, South Africa. As of 2020, she is 88 years old.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Early life<\/h2>\n

Coertse, born in Durban, matriculated at the Helpmekaar Girls High School in Johannesburg. She began vocal studies in South Africa in 1949. Her first vocal coach in Johannesburg was Aimee Parkerson.<\/p>\n

Her debut performance in South Africa was singing Handel\u2019s Messiah at the Johannesburg City Hall on 11 December 1951. In July 1953 she married broadcaster and composer Dawid Engela.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Opera career<\/h2>\n

Coertse made her debut in January 1955 as the \u201cfirst flower girl\u201d in Wagner\u2019s Parsifal at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Karl B\u00f6hm conducting. She also sang in Basle at the Teatro San Carlo.<\/p>\n

On 17 March 1956 she made her debut at the Vienna State Opera as the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberfl\u00f6te by Mozart and remained with the Vienna State Opera until 1978. Her Covent Garden debut was in 1956, in the same role.<\/p>\n

Her roles were limited in the United Kingdom as the Equity boycott of South Africa due to Apartheid, prevented its members from having anything to do with South Africa\u2019s entertainment industry.<\/p>\n

Coertse sang the soprano part in Bach\u2019s Matth\u00e4us-Passion at Fritz Wunderlich\u2019s first appearance in Vienna in 1958, when he performed the tenor arias with Julius Patzak singing the Evangelist. In 1958, Coertse and Fritz Wunderlich again worked together at the Aix-en-Provence festival in Die Zauberfl\u00f6te.<\/p>\n

In 1965, she sang Konstanze in Die Entf\u00fchrung 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 \u00d6sterreichischer Kammers\u00e4nger, for her ten years of work as a permanent member at the Vienna State Opera.<\/p>\n

Her repertoire also includes:<\/p>\n

\n
• The Magic Flute<\/i>\u00a0(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) \u2013 Queen of the night<\/li>\n
• Il Seraglio<\/i>\u00a0(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) \u2013 Constance<\/li>\n
• Ariadne auf Naxos<\/i>\u00a0(Richard Strauss) \u2013 Najade, later Zerbinetta<\/li>\n
• Rigoletto<\/i>\u00a0(Giuseppe Verdi) \u2013 Gilda<\/li>\n
• The Tales of Hoffmann<\/i>\u00a0(Jacques Offenbach) \u2013 Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta, Stella<\/li>\n
• Palestrina<\/i>\u00a0(Hans Pfitzner) \u2013 the Angel<\/li>\n
• Carmen<\/i>\u00a0(Georges Bizet) \u2013 Frasquita<\/li>\n
• Martha<\/i>\u00a0(Friedrich von Flotow) \u2013 Martha<\/li>\n
• Mignon<\/i>\u00a0(Ambroise Thomas) \u2013 Philine<\/li>\n
• La traviata<\/i>\u00a0(Giuseppe Verdi) \u2013 Violetta<\/li>\n
• I Pagliacci<\/i>\u00a0(Ruggiero Leoncavallo) \u2013 Nedda<\/li>\n
• Arabella<\/i>\u00a0(Richard Strauss) \u2013 Fiaker-Milli<\/li>\n
• Bastien und Bastienne<\/i>\u00a0(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) \u2013 Bastienne<\/li>\n
• The Merry Widow<\/i>\u00a0(Franz Leh\u00e1r) \u2013 Hanna Glawari<\/li>\n
• Lucia di Lammermoor<\/i>\u00a0(Gaetano Donizetti) \u2013 Lucia<\/li>\n
• Die Fledermaus<\/i>\u00a0(Johann Strauss II) \u2013 Rosalinde<\/li>\n
• L\u2019heure espagnole<\/i>\u00a0(Maurice Ravel) \u2013 Concepcion, staging\u00a0Otto Schenk<\/li>\n
• Don Giovanni<\/i>\u00a0(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) \u2013 Donna Elvira<\/li>\n
• La boh\u00e8me<\/i>\u00a0(Giacomo Puccini) \u2013 Musetta<\/li>\n
• Norma<\/i>\u00a0(Vincenzo Bellini) \u2013 Norma<\/li>\n
• Cos\u00ec fan tutte<\/i>\u00a0(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) \u2013 Fiordiligi<\/li>\n
• Falstaff<\/i>\u00a0(Giuseppe Verdi) \u2013 Mrs. Alice Ford<\/li>\n
• Turandot<\/i>\u00a0(Giacomo Puccini) \u2013 Liu, a young slave<\/li>\n
• Don Giovanni<\/i>\u00a0(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) \u2013 Donna Anna<\/li>\n
• Die schweigsame Frau<\/i>\u00a0(Richard Strauss) \u2013 Aminta, Timida 1968 Premiere Vienna State Opera, staging\u00a0Hans Hotter<\/li>\n
• Die \u00e4gyptische Helena<\/i>\u00a0(Richard Strauss) \u2013 Aithra<\/li>\n
• Daphne<\/i>\u00a0(Richard Strauss) \u2013 Daphne<\/li>\n
• Don Carlos<\/i>\u00a0(Giuseppe Verdi) \u2013 Elisabeth von Valois<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  <\/span>Later years<\/h2>\n

  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.<\/p>\n

  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 \u2013 as may be witnessed in her Debut with Mimi and through the Mimi Coertse Bursary.<\/p>\n

  In 1996, Austria\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

  In 1998, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Pretoria and another in 2013 from the Unisa. In 2002 she would receive the Golden Rathausmann from the mayor of Vienna.<\/p>\n

  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.<\/p>\n

  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 (Pretoria), Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden (Johannesburg) and the Civic Theatre (Johannesburg).<\/p>\n

  <\/span>Personal life<\/h2>\n

  Coertse was married three times. Coertse\u2019s first marriage was to South African composer Dawid Engela in 1953 but the marriage ended in divorce in 1957. Her second marriage was to Italian business man Diego Brighi in 1965 and was again divorced in 1969.<\/p>\n

  Her last marriage was to a businessman, Werner Ackerman, in 1970 and lasted until 1994. After five miscarriages, she would adopt a son and daughter, Werner and Mia.<\/p>\n

  <\/span>Honours and awards<\/h2>\n

  \n
  • 1961: Medal of Honour of the South African Academy for Science and Art (Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns<\/i>)<\/li>\n
  • 1966: Title of\u00a0Kammers\u00e4ngerin<\/i>^{<\/sup><\/li>\n}
  • 1985:\u00a0Decoration for Meritorious Services\u00a0(South Africa) in recognition of her contribution to the Arts^{<\/sup><\/li>\n}
  • August 1996:\u00a0Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art^{<\/sup><\/li>\n}
  • 1998: Honorary Doctor of Philosophy (h.c.) from the\u00a0University of Pretoria, South Africa<\/li>\n
  • 2002: Golden \u201cRathausmann\u201d<\/li>\n
  • In 2004: Voted 45th in the\u00a0Top 100 Great South Africans<\/li>\n
  • In 2008: Mimi Coertse Museum van Afrikaans opened at\u00a0HAP \u2013 Huis van Afrikaanse Po\u00ebsie in Capital Park, Pretoria.<\/li>\n
  • 2012: 1 July\u201330 September: special exhibition in Staatsoper museum Vienna: \u201cMimi Coertse, a Viennese woman from South Africa.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    <\/span>Net Worth<\/h2>\n

    She has an estimated net worth of $500,000.<\/p>\n