May Abrahamse

May Henrietta Abrahamse (6 May 1930 – 5 May 2025) was a South African soprano. She grew up during apartheid and was a prominent figure in the Eoan Group, a cultural organisation that aimed to uplift Coloured people through the arts. Despite the restrictions and challenges imposed by the apartheid regime, she performed opera for marginalised communities in South Africa. She portrayed the title role in Verdi's La traviata from 1956 to 1975, and appeared as Annina in the same opera in 2004.

Life and career Early life and education Born on 6 May 1930 Her acceptance of a two-year contract as a chorus member with the Performing Arts Council of the Orange Free State in Bloemfontein in 1987 marked the first time she was given the opportunity to perform professionally alongside white singers.

Later in her career, Abrahamse's contributions to South African music were recognised. In 2005, she received the Cape Tercentenary Foundation Award for her "distinguished contribution to the Fine and Performing Arts".

Personal life In 1956, Abrahamse married John Rushin, but continued to perform under her maiden name. Abrahamse and Rushin had two daughters. Between 1968 and 1972, she and her family relocated to Durban, but she returned to Cape Town occasionally to perform, notably in 1971, when she sang Nedda in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. She sang the role of Annina in a production of La traviata at the Joseph Stone Theatre in Athlone in 2004, at age 73.