Nymph Kellerman

Nymph Kellerman has been in the Performing Arts since the beginning of the 80’s as singer and actress. She studied Drama and Opera at the University of South Africa and The Academy for Drama Art in Cape Town where she obtained her Licentiate in Drama Art. She trained as formal singer under various renowned vocal advisers such as internationally known Fred Dalberg (Nico Malan Opera House in Cape Town), Sarie Lamprecht (SABC Johannesburg), internationally known George Fourie (PACT Pretoria who was known as the world’s greatest Rigoletto) and did her Master classes in opera in London with world renowned Dame Vera Roza Nordell (Covent Garden Opera House London) with an OBE from the Queen of England. After completion of her Master Classes she stayed on in London to work and perform in various recitals.

Her singing career included touring with the British singing couple Anne Ziegler and Webster Booth for a couple of years, performing in a variety of operettes, musicals and recitals. As a freelance singer she sang in operas such as Samson and Delilah (Saint Saens), Carmen (Bizet) and understudied Joan Carlyle as Mimi in La Boheme (Puccini) for CAPAB. In Johannesburg she performed under the baton of conductor Andre Strydom, and sang the lead in oratorios such as Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Mendellsohn’s Elijah (mezzo part). She lived in London where she performed in a variety of shows and recitals.

On returning to South Africa, she joined the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation), completed its internal Video/Film directing course and held a position as video director in the 90’s for TV1's Music and Variety Department and produced a variety of musicals and music videos for over a period of ten years.

Her acting career included romantic leads in stage productions such as Shakespeare's “Macbeth” and “Twelfth night”, the Greek tragedy “Iphigenia in Aulis” by Euripides, “Ai tog die vroumense” by Joan Retief, “Sakke vol geld”, “Die drie van der Walts” by EA Schlegemann, “Yerma”by Garcia Lorca. Her television performances include “Klagstaat” for Dirk de Villiers and “Die ryk weduwee” for Jan Prinsloo. Her freelance radio career included various drama series under direction of Robert Young, Paul Eilers and Jan Prinsloo.

Her writing career includes two books on Christian Mysticism “Whisper of the gales” and “The road to Damascus”, various articles on the same subject, the Music Drama “The cry of Winnie Mandela”, “The memories in the red box” “Jesus the Crucified”, “His Name is Jesus” and stage adaptations of “Diary of a madman” by Nikilai Gogol and Guy de Maupassant. She translates and edits on a freelance basis.

Amongst stage productions directed by her, were shows such as the Music Drama “The cry of Winnie Mandela”, the stage adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's “Diary of a madman”, “Stormy Weather” with prisoners of the Pretoria Central Prison, “Labola”, a showcase of African Theatre as prelude to the Young Ambassadors of America's (BYU)'s musical “Harmony, the music of life”. She also directed the Passion play “Jesus the Crucified” and the Christmas Play “His Name is Jesus”.

Facilitator of Project Community Development for the City of Tshwane (Local Government) where she prepared young people from a disadvantaged background, for a career in the performing arts.

Facilitator of Project Prisoners for skills development in the Performing Arts at the Pretoria Central Prison from July 2010 to December 2013 after being approached by the University of Pretoria. During this time, two major concerts with prisoners were performed at the Pretoria City Hall.
Facilitator of Project Street Youngsters for the City of Tshwane - skills development in the Performing Arts with teenagers living in cardboard boxes in the streets of Sunnyside, Pretoria.

Apart from the Performing Arts, Nymph has always had a keen interest in Alternative Healing and Veganism and completed her Diploma in Nutrition (Southern Training College, East Sussex, England) in 1984. An investigation and double-blind research project on the effect of music as a healing agent followed at the Garden City Clinic in Johannesburg (1991-1995) on patients under adequate anaesthesia (The effect of Music on patients under Adequate Anaesthesia - Kellerman et al 1995). The success rate in pain reduction and speeding up of recovery period was as high as 80%. (Statistics done by Dr.Jackie Galpin, University of the Witwatersrand 1995).

At present she is a writer, stage director and presenter of the workshop The Transformation.