The following is extracted from Volume IV of the 1986 edition of South African Music Encyclopedia (J.P. Malan, ISBN 0 86965 586 8)
PETRONELLA M. (NELLIE) DU TOIT (Mrs P Crouse), soprano, born 17 December 1929 in Pietersburg
Nellie du Toit comes from a musical family and exhibited her natural bent for singing at an early age. When she was sixteen years of age, she sang in an operetta for the first time. After completing her school education in 1946, she entered for the newly-created Diploma in Opera Singing at the SA College of Music in Cape Town and became a pupil of Adelheid Armhold. Whilst a student she sang parts in university opera productions by Gregorio Fiasconaro, such as Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica and Beatrice et Benedict. In 1952 she obtained the Diploma with distinction and left for England. Before her departure she sang in a festival performance of Mahler's Fourth Symphony during the Van Riebeeck Tricentenary celebrations.
In England she studied singing under Tatiana Makushina and interpreted a number of roles for the National English Opera Company on their tours in Great Britain, including parts in Le Nozze di Figaro and La Cenerentola. On her return to South Africa she toured through the country with Marcel Wittrisch. She continued her study of singing and impressed the examiners for the Licentiate examination to the extent of being invited to participate in the competition for the Overseas Bursary of the University of South Africa. She was successful and left for Vienna in 1956 to obtain experience and to study under Maria Hittorff for a few months.
In the period from 1957 until 1962 Nellie du Toit was actively engaged in various opera productions of Alessandro Rota's National Opera Society of South Africa, the Opera Vereniging van Suid-Afrika (OPSA), the Pretoria Opera Group, and the South African Federation of Opera. In 1957 she sang Madama Butterfly for the first time in Rota's production. Since then she has interpreted this role more than 100 times and in 1973 was awarded the Nederburg Opera Prize for her Cape Town performance of the part. In all, she has been the recipient of this prize three times. Apart from her opera achievements she also sang in oratorios, notably in Pretoria, where she was engaged by the Afrikaanse Musiekklub for their choral ventures. In 1958 she shared the honours with Gert Potgieter in the world premiere of Henk Baldings' radiophonic opera Asterion (NP van Wyk Louw). At a later stage she again sang in the premiere of a work by Baldings, Die Ballade van die Bloeddorstige Jagter (GA Watermeyer) [The Ballad of the Blood-thirsty Hunter]. This work was awrded an international prize in Italy in 1971.
She sang in Prof Erik Chrisholm's production of John Joubert's Droogte [Drought] in 1958 and again under Chrisholm's direction in 1961, when she had a leading role in the world premiere of the same composer's Silas Marner. After 1963 she was increasingly engaged in the opera productions of the four provincial Regional Councils for the Performing Arts and her repertoire increased to 25 different operas, including Jenufa by Janacek (1976). [This increased to 30 roles by the time she retired form the opera stage.] The art of singing Lieder was also cultivated, generally to the pianoforte accompaniment of Hennie Joubert.
From 1959 to 1961 Nellie du Toit was lecturer for singing at the Pretoria Conservatoire for Music, but since then she has taught privately only. [From 1980 she also taught at the University of Stellenbosch.] Among those who have benefited from her teaching are Gé Korsten, George Kok and Rikie Venter [and in later years also Michelle Breedt].
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The following is an extract from the CD liner notes of the CD "Nellie du Toit - Encore"
Nellie duToit was born in Pietersburg, the old Northern Transvaal, now the Northern Province. She comes from a musical family and started her music career at the tender age of nine.
In 1952, Nellie became the first student at the College of Music, University of Cape Town, to obtain the Performers Diploma in Opera with distinction. Her teachers were Adelheid Armhold (voice) and Gregorio Fiasconaro (opera coach).
She then left for London and studied there for two years, singing various roles with a touring company for the arts council of Great Britain. During this period she was coached by the conductor Bryan Balkwill and pianist Geoffrey Parsons.
On returning to S.A., Nellie won an overseas scholarship for the Performance Licentiate of UNISA and studied in Austria for some time.
In 1970 she was a finalist in the world wide "Madama Butterfly" competition in Tokyo.
During Nellie du Toit's operatic career, she won three Nederburg awards for various roles in South Africa. 1972 - Madama Butterfly (Cape Province), 1974 - Lucia di Lammermoor (Transvaal), and 1975 - Tosca (Orange Free State).
In 1976 she received the Medal-of-Honour from the Academy of Science and Art for her contribution to music in South Africa.
In 1980 Nellie joined the University of Stellenbosch as vocal teacher and Head of the Singing Department. During these years she taught many of today's professional singers.
In 1983 she visited various workshops and universities in the USA to do research in singing.
In 1988 she was awarded a Doctorate in Music (D.Mus) honoris causa by the University of Stellenbosch.
Nellie du Toit did not restrict herself to opera alone and participated in radio broadcasts of various Lieder recitals and symphonies with the SABC for over thirty years.
Her repertoire consists of thirty operatic roles (she performed Madama Butterfly 180 times and Lucia di Lammermoor 60 times), Lieder by Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Strauss, Wolf, and many more, and oratorios such as Haydn's The Creation, Handel's Messiah and Judas Maccabeus, Verdi's Requiem and Brahms' German Requiem amongst others.
Nellie du Toit, we salute you and your heavenly voice echoing the calls of your many fans: "Encore, encore...!"
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The following is an article written in Afrikaans by Lorraine Camisani in the December 2004 publication of Die Ventertjie (a newsletter of the Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool in Pretoria)
Die gevierde Suid-Afrikaanse sopraan, Nellie du Toit, vier op 17 Desember 2004 haar 75ste verjaarsdag. Nellie du Toit is op 17 Desember 1929 in Pietersburg gebore. Nadat sy aan die Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool matrikuleer, studeer sy aan die
Musiekkollege in Kaapstad waar sy die eerste student word om die Voordraers Diploma in Opera met lof te verwerf. Sy vertrek na Londen en studeer verder onder die dirigent Bryan Balkwill en die pianis, Geoffrey Parsons. Met haar terugkeer na SA wen sy die Oorsese Unisa Voordraerslisensiaatbeurs. Intussen het sy ook nog ‘n rukkie in die vyftigerjare sang gegee by AHMP. In 1970 was sy ‘n finalis in die “Madama Butterfly” kompetisie wat in Tokyo, Japan gehou is. Sy is die houer van drie Nederburg toekennings vir haar uitmuntende vertolking van operarolle vir die Uitvoerende Kunsterade in drie provinsies. Sy verower in 1976 die Eremedalje van die Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns vir haar besondere bydrae tot musiek in Suid-Afrika. In 1980 word sy hoof van die sangdepartement aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch waar sy talle professionele sangers onderrig. In 1998 word ‘n ere-doktorsgraad in Musiek (D.Mus) deur Stellenbosch Universiteit aan haar toegeken. Sy was ook ‘n uitstekende lieder- en oratoriumsanger en het vir 30 jaar vir die SAUK op radio uitgesaai. Sy het ook 30 operarolle vertolk waarvan sy Madama Butterfly 180 keer en Lucia 60 keer gesing het. Hier moet nog ‘n prestasie gemeld word. Sy was ook die trotse moeder van 3 lewendige Affiedogters. Onlangs het ‘n CD met van haar beste sang verskyn. Ons is voorwaar baie trots op Nellie du Toit en wens haar alles van die mooiste toe vir die toekoms.
