Nelmarie Rabie (Nell)

Nelmarie Rabie is a music artist with a big stage presence and formidable voice. Based in Pretoria, South Africa, Nell is a two-time semi-finalist in the prestigious SAMRO Overseas Scholarship for singers (2007 and 2015). In 2003, she began her studies in Jazz and Popular Music at Tshwane University of Technology and obtained her degree in 2006. During her study years she began to perform regularly with various jazz bands all across Gauteng and did corporate functions for companies such as SAB, FNB, UNISA, TUT, SA MINT, Yves Saint Laurent. Nell was chosen as one of 6 finalists for the SAMRO Overseas Scholarship for Singers 2007. She was awarded with the Pretorium Trust bursary for best fourth year student in 2006 and obtained distinctions for her final year recitals.

In 2007, she formed the all-female group La Diva and recorded an album “Like a Feather” with them in 2008. She performed with La Diva from 2007 to 2010 as front performer and lead vocalist. Together with La Diva, she performed with Laurika Rauch in two productions in 2008 and 2009. La Diva’s song 'You Blow Me a Kiss' was included on the album Jazz Café, the only South African artist featured on the album.

In 2011,she left the group La Diva to start her solo career. In 2013, she recorded her debut album 'Boulevard' which contains well-known jazz standards. Her soulful interpretations has taken her to perform internationally with some of the best jazz musicians in the country. She performs regularly with her jazz band across the country in theatres and corporate functions and receives rave reviews of her performances. She performed in Abu Dhabi together with her husband Christiaan Rabie from November 2013 to June 2014 as musical duo.

She was one of the organizers of the Lotto funded 2016 TUT Jazz Summer workshops where international jazz educators and performers produced a week long summer jazz programme to 125 jazz students around South Africa. She started her formal music training at the age of seven with piano and obtained Gr 8 in Light Music at the age of 16.

She is regularly joined on stage by Marcel Dednam on piano, Werner Spies on double bass, Hugo Radyn on drums, Christiaan Rabie on guitar and Justin Holcroft on saxophones. In 2013, she released her album titled 'Boulevard'.

She is currently working on her MMus Performing Arts degree at the University of Pretoria. She is lecturer in Jazz Vocals, Ensemble and Ear Training at Tshwane University of Technology as well as Jazz Vocal lecturer at the University of Pretoria. She also obtained her B.Mus Hons degree in Performing Art CUM LAUDE in 2013.