[3] Stapelberg began her operatic training at the Conservatoire of Stellenbosch University (with Magdalena Oosthuizen) and graduated in 1998 with a degree in Music and English Literature.
Stapelberg has collaborated with South African composer Hendrik Hofmeyr, on his Byzantium for soprano and orchestra, The Death of Cleopatra and various of his song cycles.
One of them, Die Stil Avontuur, comprising settings of works by South African poet, Elisabeth Eybers, was composed specifically for Stapelberg's voice.
She received the Kanna Award for Best Classical Production in 2014 at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, together with the Odeion String Quartet.
[11] Apart from her operatic and concert performances, Stapelberg is also involved in various creative stage projects with her company Long Tall Women Productions; in 2006 she launched her opera-cabaret, Zanne.