Wouter Kellerman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 September 1961 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Genres | World, Roots, Classical, Jazz, Instrumental |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Composer & Producer |
| Instrument(s) | Flute, "c" flute (traverse flute), Bass Flute, Fife, Alto Flute, Bansuri (Indian Flute) |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Website | wouterkellerman |
Wouter Kellerman (born 20 September 1961) is a two-time Grammy Award-winning[1] South African flautist, producer and composer who has won nine South African Music Awards.[2] Classically trained, Kellerman performs primarily World, Roots and New Age music.
Kellerman received a Grammy Award at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards[3] for his 2014 album Winds of Samsara, a collaboration with Indian composer and producer Ricky Kej. Winds of Samsara reached No. 1 on the US New Age Album Billboard Charts[4] and also peaked at No. 1 on the ZMR (Zone Music Reporter)[5] Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart in the month of July 2014.
Kellerman's Love Language (2015) received a Grammy nomination[6] for 'Best Contemporary Instrumental Album', and won a SAMA for 'Best Instrumental and/or Classical Album'.[7] It debuted at No. 1 on the World Music Billboard charts in July 2015.[8] This album also featured at No. 1 on the ZMR Top 100 International Radio Airplay Chart in August 2015,[9] and spent 11 weeks in the CMJ New World Top 40 Chart, peaking at No. 12.
His next project was a collaboration with the Soweto Gospel Choir, Symphonic Soweto – A Tribute to Nelson Mandela.[10] The album re-conceptualised traditional music, freedom songs (including Mandela favourite, “Lizalis’idinga”) and popular songs by South African legends (including Brenda Fassie, Lucky Dube and Miriam Makeba), from a symphonic and choral perspective – as part of honouring Nelson Mandela in the year he would have celebrated his 100th birthday. Symphonic Soweto won the 2018 SAMA for Best Adult Contemporary Album – Kellerman's seventh SAMA recognition.[11] 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 province of South Africa) in 2018. Their African version of Ed Sheeran's Shape of You became an internet sensation, going viral with tens of millions of views on social media,[12] and winning awards like the HMMA (Hollywood Music in Media Awards) for 'Best Independent Music Video'[13] – pushing the Ndlovu Youth Choir firmly into the international limelight. This resulted in America's Got Talent 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[14], 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 in 2021[15] and his fourth Grammy nomination and his second win in 2023 for his song Bayethe, with South African artists Nomcebo Zikode and Zakes Bantwini in the Best Global Music Performance category.[16]
Kellerman was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Art and Design from Tshwane University of Technology in October 2024.[17][18]
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