Wouter Kellerman (born 20 Septemeber 1961) is a South African flautist, composer and producer. He is a three-time Grammyî Award winner and a nine-time South African Music Award (SAMA) winner whose music spans classical, world, roots and new-age traditions, often through cross-cultural collaborations.
Kellerman gained international prominence with Winds of Samsara (2014), a collaboration between Indian composer and producer Ricky Kej, which won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album and reached number one on the US Billboard New Age Albums chart . His follow-up, Love Language (2015), was nominated for a Grammy Award and also achieved international chart success.
He won a second Grammy for "Bayethe", a collaboration with Nomcebo Zikode and Zakes Bantwini, in the category Best Global Musicv Performance , and a third for Triveni, with Chandrika Tandon and Eru Matsumoto, in Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album. His other notable projects include collaborations with the Soweto Gospel Chior and the Ndlovu Youth Choir.
In addition to his recording career, Kellerman has performed internationally at venues including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center , at major state and diplomatic events, and at the closing ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup , which was broadcast to a global audience of more than 700 million viewers. He has also been recognised for his philanthropic work, including receiving an honorary doctorate from Tshwane University of Technology.
Kellerman was born in Johannesburg in 1961 to parents Pieter van Ellewee Kellerman and Susanna Petronella Greeff. At age ten, he and his siblings were introduced to classical music at a symphony orchestra concert. His parents allowed the children to choose an instrument they wanted to learn to play. Kellerman chose the flute as his instrument, and his parents hired the equipment and arranged lessons at the Randburg Music Centre. Matriculating from high school with distinctions in mathematics, music and computer science, his parents were unable to fund a classical music education. He was able to obtain a bursary from Anglo-American and studied electrical engineering at the University of Johannesburg.
During his studies, he taught the flute and played in the Junior SABC Symphony Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra and as a soloist with the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra. On completing his studies, his bursary had to be paid off with work at Anglo Coal in the Witbank area. With two children to raise on his own, and not able to financially support them in music, he continued his engineering career while pursuing music part time. He continued his professional flautist training by attending yearly masterclasses overseas. With his children beginning their tertiary education in the early 2000s, he was finally able to pursue music full time.
Beginning his professional career Kellerman spent four years working on his album collaborating with audio engineer S. Husky Höskulds. He released his first album, Colour in 2007, by music company Mastermax after being rejected by many South African music labels.
Kellerman received a Grammy Award at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards 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 and also peaked at No. 1 on the ZMR (Zone Music Reporter) Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart in the month of July 2014.
Kellerman's Love Language (2015) received a Grammy nomination for 'Best Contemporary Instrumental Album', and won a SAMA for 'Best Instrumental and/or Classical Album'. It debuted at No. 1 on the World Music Billboard 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 No. 12.
His next project was a collaboration with the Soweto Gospel Choir, Symphonic Soweto â A Tribute to Nelson Mandela. The album re-conceptualised traditional music, freedom songs (including Mandela favourite, "LizalisâÂÂidinga") and popular songs by South African legends (including Brenda Fassie, Lucky Dube and Miriam Makeba), from a symphonic and choral perspective â 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 â Kellerman's seventh SAMA 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 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, and winning awards like the HMMA (Hollywood Music in Media Awards) for 'Best Independent Music Video' â 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', 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 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. In 2025, he won his third Grammy Award for Triveni, his collaborative album with Chandrika Tandon and Eru Matsumoto, in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category.
In recognition of his contributions to music and philanthropy, Kellerman was awarded an honorary doctorate from Tshwane University of Technology in 2024. He received the Alumni Dignitas Award from the University of Johannesburg in late 2024. In 2025, he was honoured with the Cultural Excellence Award from the High Commissioner of India. In November he received the AABLA (All African Business Leader Award) for Sports, Arts and Culture. Kellerman was named one of the 100 Most Reputable Africans of 2026.
Kellerman's flute-playing can be heard on the soundtrack of the Emmy Award-winning film Eye of the Leopard.
Kellerman has sponsored the living expenses of 10 children in the SOS Children's Village in Ennerdale, South Africa for the past 20 years and has also financed the building of a house in the SOS Children's Village in Rustenburg. For his continued efforts in helping give these children a better life, Kellerman was nominated by the SOS Children's Villages for the 2007 Inyathelo Special Recognition Award for Philanthropy. He continues to facilitate the teaching of young dance and music students.
Kellerman provided the seed funding for the Keiskamma Music Academy in the Eastern Cape, founded by fellow flautist, Helen Vosloo.
Wouter has worked closely and performs regularly with the charity 67 Blankets For Nelson Mandela.
Kellerman recorded a song called 'Homeland' for Refugees awareness in March 2022 and performed on 10 December 2020 for the NPO Turquoise Harmony Institute to raise awareness of the plight of refugees