SELAOCOE: Pula
TRADITIONAL SOUTH AFRICAN: Senzeni na
NOBUTO: Living
DALL’ABACO: Capriccio No. 5
ALEXANDER: Alva’s Riff
SELAOCOE: Sefako; Tshepo
BACH: Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009 (Prélude)
VAN DER AA / SELAOCOE: Entanglements ★
The South African cellist Abel Selaocoe has established himself as one of the most innovative voices in the reimagining of classical music.
Redefining the expressive boundaries of the cello, he moves effortlessly across a multitude of genres and styles — from collaborations with jazz and world music artists to solo and orchestral performances.
Selaocoe combines virtuosic technique with improvisation, singing, and body percussion, devoting himself passionately to composition and the creation of programs that highlight the connections between Western and non-Western musical traditions, thereby broadening the horizons of classical music and making it accessible to a more diverse audience.
In 2023, he was awarded the RPS Instrumentalist Award for his performances and collaborations that “shine with creativity, leaving audiences with an overwhelming sense of joy and inspiration.”
Driven by curiosity, Abel continually develops new projects with contemporary artists, collaborating with musicians of every genre, including Bernhard Schimpelsberger, Seckou Keita, Manchester Collective, Giovanni Sollima, and Dudù Kouaté.
In 2016, he founded the trio Chesaba, specializing in music from the African continent — including many of his own compositions — and in 2022, he created the Bantu Ensemble, with which he brings his music to audiences around the world.
He currently serves as Artistic Partner of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Artist in Association with the BBC Singers, and Artist in Residence at the Kölner Philharmonie, performing regularly with each of these institutions throughout the season.
In the 2024/25 season, Selaocoe made his debut at the Verbier Festival with a solo recital and embarked on an international tour with the Bantu Ensemble, which included the group’s debuts at Carnegie Hall, the La Jolla Music Society, and the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival.
He also toured the United Kingdom and Europe with the Manchester Collective.
Selaocoe performed his Cello Concerto Four Spirits during the 2024/25 season, appearing with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and on a European tour with the Aurora Orchestra, featuring performances in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Isarphilharmonie Munich, and Southbank Centre London.
The 2024/25 season also featured the world premieres of two new Selaocoe compositions, commissioned respectively by the Signum Quartet and The Hermes Experiment, and presented in October 2024 at the Kölner Philharmonie and in November 2024 at Wigmore Hall.
He completed the International Artist Diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music in July 2018.
In May 2021, he was selected as one of the first participants in the PRS Foundation’s Power Up Music Creator program — an initiative aimed at addressing anti-Black racism and racial inequality in the music industry.
In July 2021, he received a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for his compositional work.
Selaocoe performs on a copy of a 1735 Montagnana cello, made in 2020 by Robin Aitchison with the generous support of the Alan Powell Trust.
He is an exclusive artist with Warner Classics.
★ Work co-commissioned by:
Princeton University Concerts, USA
Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, USA
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, USA
through the noise, United Kingdom
Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Germany
Kölner Philharmonie, Germany
Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Netherlands
Cello Biennale Amsterdam, Netherlands
De Singel Antwerp, Belgium
Pierre Boulez Saal Berlin, Germany
Tauberphilharmonie Weikersheim, Germany
MünchenMusik, Germany
Società del Quartetto di Milano, Italy
Unione Musicale, Italy
Amici della Musica, Florence, Italy
