Wouter Kellerman (born 20 September 1961) is a GRAMMY® Award-winning South African

flautist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, producer and composer who has won eight

South African Music Awards The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in N ...

. Using his classical training as a foundation, Kellerman has focused his attention on

World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

and

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

music, exploring the versatility of the instrument and fusing classical and

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is ...

sounds. Kellerman received a Grammy Award at the

57th Annual Grammy Awards The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live by CBS at 5:00 p.m. PST ( UTC−8). Rapper LL Cool J hosted the show for the fourth consecutive time ...

for his 2014 album ''Winds of Samsara'', a collaboration with Indian composer and producer

Ricky Kej Ricky Kej (born 5 August 1981 - Dhaka, Bangladesh) is a multi-Grammy Award-winning Indian music composer and environmentalist. He has performed at venues in over 30 countries including at the United Nations headquarters in New York and Geneva. ...

. ''Winds of Samsara'' reached No. 1 on the US New Age Album

Billboard Charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

and also peaked at No. 1 on the ZMR (

Zone Music Reporter Zone Music Reporter (formerly ''New Age Reporter'') is a website tracking New Age, world, and instrumental music. The site features weekly playlist, monthly airplay charts, and album reviews. Premium services are also offered to artists and their ...

) Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart in the month of July 2014. Kellerman's ''Love Language'' (2015) received
Grammy® Nomination
ref name="bsharpentertainment.co.za"> for ' Best Contemporary Instrumental Album', and won a

SAMA Sama or SAMA may refer to: Places * Sama, Burkina Faso, a town in the Kouka Department, Banwa Province, Burkina Faso * Sama, China (Sanya), a city in Hainan, China * Sama, Chalus, a village in Mazandaran Province, Iran * Sama, Nowshahr, a vi ...

for 'Best Instrumental and/or Classical Album'. It debuted at nr. 1 on the World Music

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

charts in July 2015. This album also featured at No. 1 on the ZMR Top 100 International Radio Airplay Chart in August 2015, and spent 11 weeks in the CMJ New World Top 40 Chart, peaking at nr. 12. His next adventure was a collaboration with the

Soweto Gospel Choir The Soweto Gospel Choir is a South African gospel group. History The Soweto Gospel Choir was formed in Soweto, South Africa, by David Mulovhedzi and Beverly Bryer, and producers Andrew Kay, David Vigo and Cliff Hocking in 2002. The more than 30- ...

, ''Symphonic Soweto – A Tribute to Nelson Mandela''. The album sees the two Grammy® winners re-conceptualise traditional music, freedom songs (including Mandela favourite, “''Lizalis’idinga''”) and popular songs by South African legends (including

Brenda Fassie Brenda Nokuzola Fassie (3 November 1964 – 9 May 2004) was a South African singer, songwriter, dancer and activist. Affectionately called MaBrrr by her fans, she is also known as the "Queen of African Pop", the "Madonna of The Townships" or si ...

Lucky Dube Lucky Philip Dube (pronounced ''duu-beh'';
luckydubemusic.com, Retrieved 19 October 2007 3 August 1964 – 18 October 20 ...

and

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she ...

), from a symphonic and choral perspective – as part of honouring

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

in the year he would have celebrated his 100th birthday. ''Symphonic Soweto'' won the 2018

for ''Best Adult Contemporary Album'' - Kellerman's seventh

recognition. From ''Symphonic Soweto'', Kellerman's collaborative composition ''Soweto Travels'' won the ''USA Songwriting Competition'' for Best Instrumental Composition in 2017. As part of his mission to work with and uplift children, Kellerman collaborated with the Ndlovu Youth Choir (a rural choir based in Moutse in the

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature ...

province of South Africa) in 2018. Their African version of

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...

's ''

Shape of You "Shape of You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the double lead singles from his third studio album '' ÷'' (2017), along with "Castle on the Hill". The dancehall and R&B-infused ...

'' became an internet sensation, going viral with tens of millions of views on social media, and winning awards like the HMMA (

Hollywood Music in Media Awards The Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA) is an award organization honoring original music (Song and Score) in all forms visual media including film, TV, video games, trailers, commercial advertisements, documentaries, music videos and special pr ...

) for 'Best Independent Music Video' - pushing the Ndlovu Youth Choir firmly into the international limelight. This resulted in

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global Got Talent, ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (company), F ...

scouting the choir to enter the 2019 competition. Ndlovu went ahead and delivered a sensational first few rounds, going all the way through to the finals of the competition, showcasing South African music and spirit in the process. Their collaboration is part of Kellerman's 2019 album ''In A Different Light','' in which he re-imagines and re-shapes some of his favourite melodies by approaching them from a fresh angle. Kellerman received his third GRAMMY® nomination for ''Pangaea,'' his collaborative album with

David Arkenstone David Arkenstone (born July 1, 1952) is an American composer and performer. His music is primarily instrumental, with occasional vocalizations. Most of Arkenstone's music falls into new age category; however, he also worked in other genres, inclu ...

in 2021. He received his fourth GRAMMY® nomination for his 2022 collaborative song ''Bayethe'' with South African artists Nomcebo Zikode and Zakes Bantwini in the Best Global Music Performance category.

Performance highlights

:* Kellerman performed at the closing ceremony of the

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for 700 million people. :* Performed at the Joy of Jazz Festival in Johannesburg in 2010, 2016 and 2022. :* Performed at the 2017

Byron Bay Bluesfest The Byron Bay Bluesfest, formerly the East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, is an annual Australian music festival that has been held over the Easter long weekend in the Byron Bay, New South Wales, area since 1990. The festiva ...

in Australia. :* Performed at the South African/Russia Cultural Season in St Petersburg in Russia in November 2017 :* Performed at the 2010 Expo in Shanghai, China :* Performed at the 2010 opening of

Midem Midem is the acronym for Marché International du Disque et de l'Édition Musicale, which is organised annually in and around the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. The trade show, organized by Reed MIDEM, a subsidiary of Re ...

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...

, France.

is the world's biggest music conference. :* Performed at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

in Washington DC in 2012 and 2015 :* Performed at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built b ...

in NYC in October 2014, October 2015 and November 2019 :* Performed at the Woodford Folk Festival in Australia in 2013/2014 :* Performed at the Rajasthan International Folk Festival in Jodhpur, India in October 2015 and 2018 :* Performed for the President of India in December 2015 :* Performed in Johannesburg for the visiting Prime Minister of India,

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

and a television audience of more than 200 million people in June 2016. :* Performed in Kuwait at the Al Yarmouk Theater on 17 April 2019, at a show coordinated by the South African Embassy. :* Performed at the Dubai Expo in Dubai in October 2021, opening Heritage Week for South Africa. :* Performed as soloist with the South African Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Marin Alsop in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town in December 2022 Kellerman's flute-playing can be heard on the soundtrack of the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning film '' Eye of the Leopard''.

Philanthropy

Kellerman has sponsored the living expenses of 10 children in the

SOS Children's Village SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit international development organization headquartered in Innsbruck, Austria. The organization provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children in need and protect ...

in Ennerdale, South Africa for the past 20 years and has also financed the building of a house in the

Rustenburg Rustenburg (; , Afrikaans and Dutch: ''City of Rest'') is a city at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain range. Rustenburg is the most populous city in North West province, South Africa (549,575 in 2011 and 626,522 in the 2016 census). In 2017 ...

. For his continued efforts in helping give these children a better life, Kellerman was nominated by the

SOS Children's Villages SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit international development organization headquartered in Innsbruck, Austria. The organization provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children in need and protect ...

for the 2007 Inyathelo Special Recognition Award for Philanthropy. He continues to facilitate the teaching of young dance and music students. Wouter is a Musical Ambassador for Project Peace on Earth

Nominations and awards

Albums

* Colour (2007) * Two Voices (2010) * Half Moon (2012) * Mzansi (2013) * Winds of Samsara (2014) * Love Language (2015) * Symphonic Soweto, a Tribute to Nelson Mandela (2017) *In A Different Light (2019) *We've Known All Times (2020) *Pangaea (2021)

References

External links

Official WebsiteWouter Kellerman on Weekend Breakfast with Refiloe Mpakanyane
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kellerman, Wouter 20th-century South African musicians 1961 births Living people 21st-century South African musicians Male musicians Musicians from Johannesburg Grammy Award winners 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians