Nationality: South African

Categories
Contemporary South African

SELAOCOE, Abel

Abel Selaocoe
Photo by Michael Zamora for NPR

Born in Sebokeng, South Africa, 5 March 1992

  • Abel Selaocoe (“AY-bull sil-OW-cho-ay“) is a genre-pushing cellist and composer who has made a name for himself combining virtuosic cello and vocal performance with improvisation.
  • Growing up in South Africa, Selaocoe received his first instruction on the cello at the African Cultural Organization of South Africa (ACOSA), an outreach program that provided one of the only opportunities for disadvantaged kids to access classical music. He went on to earn a scholarship at St. John’s College, followed by the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (UK).
  • As a composer, Selaocoe is dedicated to interweaving Western and non-Western musical traditions.1
    • In an interview, Selaocoe said:
      • “My goal in my musical life is to take this instrument that I’ve learned from a very young age in a classical manner and connect it to where I’m from, allowing the culture of a stringed instrument like the cello or violin to evolve as it visits different cultural spaces.”2

Learn More
Composer’s website

Sources

  1. https://www.abelselaocoe.com/, accessed March 10, 2025.
  2. Kyle MacMillan, “South African cellist Abel Selaocoe makes his CSO debut at Ravinia,” Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2024), accessed March 10, 2025, https://cso.org/experience/article/19261/south-african-cellist-abel-selaocoe-makes-his.

Pieces

Pieces