Nomfundo is a multi-award-winning jazz vocalist, composer, and academic. She has released two albums under Universal Music Group — Kusile (2012) and From.Now.On (2015). Her third studio album, Ndilapha, released independently in September 2024, won the prestigious National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences Award for Best Composition/Arrangement.
She is a Senior Lecturer in Jazz Studies at the University of Cape Town’s South African College of Music, where she also earned her Master’s degree in Jazz Studies (Cum Laude). In 2018, Nomfundo was awarded a full academic scholarship by Henley Business School, where she completed her Executive MBA in 2021. A dynamic blend of performer and educator, she was invited as an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.
As an educator, Nomfundo previously led the Vocal Department at the prestigious Cape Academy of Performing Arts for five years, concluding her tenure in 2015. She is also the former Vice Chairman of the SAMRO Foundation Board.
Her performance portfolio includes appearances across Europe and the United States, as well as major local events such as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, Durban Jazz Festival, iMbokodo Jazz Festival, RMB Starlight Classics, and Joburg Arts Alive, in addition to a wide range of corporate engagements.
Her accolades include two Metro FM Music Awards, Best Female Artist at SAMRO’s Wawela Awards, and the Arts and Culture Trust Impact Award for music and singing.
A member of the UCT Next Generation Professoriate, Nomfundo’s research interests explore the intersection of music and business, with a focus on repositioning South African jazz within academic spaces. She is a published scholar, composer, recording artist, and performer, currently registered for her PhD at the University of Cape Town.
