The dazzling musical tribute show, kykNET vir Mimi, isacelebration of legendary opera singer Mimi Coertse’s distinguished career and will be on at Artscape on 17 February 2012.

kykNETand the Suidoosterfees, together with the musical talents of Jannie Moolman, Sibongile Khumalo, Zanne Stapelberg, Minette du Toit-Pearce, The Black Tie Ensemble, The Voice of the Nation and the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra will honour the internationally acclaimed darling of the South African opera world.

The star studded line-up features Coertse’s best known and loved arias from, amongst others, Don Giovanni, Orfeo Ed Euridice, Rigoletto and Carmen, as well as Afrikaans favourites like Boerneef’sOp my ou ramkietjie and Heimwee.

Coertse turns 80 this year and marks 56 years since her debut performance at the Vienna State Opera House in 1956 when she interpreted the aria of ‘the Queen of the Night’ in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.

During the show, Coertse, as guest of honour, will share intimate details about her childhood, international career and love for South Africa with interviewer Coenie de Villiers and the audience.

Karen Meiring, channel head for kykNET, says “Mimi is a real South African icon and she deserves the highest accolades for her lifetime contribution to the classical music landscape in this country. Her remarkable talent and ambassadorship have honoured South Africa on the international stage for many decades. However, Mimi’s true star quality is revealed by her commitment to the development of young and talented South African musicians. Her mentorship and support of budding singers have secured a bright future for many and is perhaps her greatest contribution.”

kykNET vir Mimiwill be on at Artscape in Cape Town on 17 February 2012 at 19:30. Tickets are available at Computicket and cost R100/R150/R200. The concert will also be recorded for television and broadcast on kykNET.

About Mimi Coertse:

Coertse was born in Durban and matriculated at the Helpmekaar Girls High School in Johannesburg. She began vocal studies in South Africa in 1949. She left South Africa in September 1953 for London and went via The Hague to Vienna. In January 1954 she started training with Maria Hittorff and Josef Witt.

Coertse made her debut in January 1955 as the first Flower Girl in Wagner's Parsifal at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples with Karl Böhm conducting. On 17 March 1956 she made her debut at the Vienna State Opera as the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte by Mozart and remained with the Vienna State Opera until 1978. Her Covent Garden debut was in 1956, in the same role.

Upon returning to South Africa in 1973 she was a regular guest on South African stages and also a frequent broadcaster on radio and television. 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 1998 Mimi 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.

Honours and awards

·         1961: Coertse was awarded the Medal of Honour by Die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns

·         1966: She received a most prestigious title from the Austrian Government: Kammersängerin

·         1985: She received South Africa’s Decoration for Meritorious Service in recognition of her contribution to the arts

·         1996: She received the highest accolade an artist can receive from the Austrian Government: the Oesterreichische Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst

·         2002: She received, from the mayor of Vienna, the golden "Rathausmann"

·         2003: She received the D. Phil (h.c.) from the University of Pretoria, South Africa

·         2008: The Mimi Coertse Museum van Afrikaans opened at hAp (Huis vir Afrikaanse Poësie) in Pretoria.

For more information contact Jo Lennox at 082 780 0242 or via email  Jo@influencepr.co.za, or Dominique van Onselen at 082 802 8184 or via email Dominique@influencepr.co.za