Ge Korsten

A voice that could fill an opera house and, at the same time, become the soundtrack to countless South African homes, Gé Korsten remains a celebrated South African performer. Equally accomplished as an operatic tenor, recording artist, actor and television personality, he helped elevate Afrikaans music while introducing generations of listeners to the power of classical singing.

Born Gérard Korsten in Schiedam, the Netherlands, on 6 December 1927, he emigrated to South Africa with his family as a child. Although he initially qualified as an electrician, his passion for music led him to study at the South African College of Music before becoming a founding member of the Pretoria Opera Group in 1955. His operatic debut came the following year in Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, beginning a distinguished classical career that would see him perform more than 3,000 times in 23 leading opera roles. A bursary to study in Vienna in 1962 further refined his remarkable tenor voice.

Korsten entered the world of Afrikaans popular music in 1965 with the album Gé Korsten Sing Uit Die Hart.

His rich, classically trained voice brought a new level of sophistication to light music, and audiences embraced it wholeheartedly. During a recording career spanning four decades, he released 58 albums, nine of which achieved gold status. Songs such as Liefling, Ruiter van die Windjie, If I Had Words and You Raise Me Up became enduring favourites, while his performances in films including Hoor My Lied, Lied in My Hart and A New Life cemented his status as one of South Africa's biggest entertainment stars. He received six Sarie Awards and an Artes Award for his television series Gé Sing.

Beyond the recording studio, Korsten became a familiar face on South African television, most notably portraying family patriarch Walt Vorster in the long-running soap opera Egoli: Place of Gold. He also served as Managing Director of the Cape Performing Arts Board (CAPAB) from 1985 to 1989, helping shape the country's performing arts landscape.

When Gé Korsten passed away in 1999, South Africa lost one of its defining musical voices. His legacy endures through an extraordinary catalogue of recordings and performances that demonstrated how opera and popular music could exist side by side. For many listeners, he remains the gold standard of Afrikaans vocal artistry, admired for both his technical brilliance and his ability to connect emotionally with audiences across generations.