The Mimi Coertse Collection featured on DSTv Channel 147

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The Mimi Coertse Collection featured on DSTv Channel 147

7 April

The Special Collections, which form part of the South African Music Collection and are housed in the University of Pretoria (UP)’s Merensky 2 Library, were recently highlighted as part of the television series ‘n Halfuur met Hanlie on DSTv Channel 147. Ms Eridine Roux, curator of the collection, was interviewed and highlighted the importance of the collection as one of the largest collections of South African music in the world. The Mimi Coertse Collection – an important part of the Special Collections – was the focus of this interview.

Here it will be appropriate to provide some background to the Mimi Coertse Collection: When the Vienna State Opera Museum was closed in 2014, its collections were integrated into the Austrian Theatre Museum. During its existence, the State Opera Museum had presented an exhibition about Mimi Coertse, and when it closed down the singer was contacted and asked whether she would be interested in items from that collection. She put them in contact with Eridine Roux at UP, and the result was that the South African Music Collection received an assortment of posters, prints and photographs of Mimi to add to our own Mimi Coertse collection. We would like to express our sincere thanks to Lindiwe Soyiswapi, who made sure that the necessary funds were made available to have these items framed. The majority of the posters and photographs are currently on display in the Special Collections Mimi Coertse Room on Level 5 of the Merensky 2 Library.

The Special Collections South African Music Collection is made up of six main collections focused on the contributions made to South African music by Anna Bender, Mimi Coertse, Stefans Grove, Sarie Lamprecht, Marieta Napier and FZ van der Merwe, and is believed to be the largest and most comprehensive collection of South African sheet music in the world.

As a result of the inclusion of the collection in the abovementioned television series, the South African Museum Collection will receive a copy of the final series, which will be included in our archives.

For more information, please contact Ms Eridine Roux at 012 420 4787, or eridine.roux@up.ac.za.

– Author Department of Library Services

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