South African cellist Abel Selaocoe explores the capacity of the cello across multiple genres, from collaborating with beatboxers and world musicians to giving concerto performances and solo classical recitals. He is currently on the International Artist Diploma course at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. In this promotional video, Abel performs both classical and world music and talks about his experiences from a young age, learning to play the cello and then to, as he says, "push the limitations of the cello."
One of the many fascinating projects Abel is involved with is the Multi-Story Orchestra, an exciting orchestra made up of young professional musicians who share a commitment to widening accessibility to classical music. Multi-Story performs in parking garages around the U.K., attracting huge, diverse audiences.
Abel is a co-founder of the world-folk-fusion quintet Kabantu. Kabantu means "of the people," stemming from the South African philosophy of Ubuntu – "I am what I am because of who we all are.” Highlights for Kabantu so far include performing at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, live sessions for BBC Free Thinking Festival, BBC Radio 3 In Tune, and an array of prestigious festivals and venues across the U.K. In 2018, Kabantu released their debut album Of the People to critical acclaim.
Abel recently played his Bridgewater Hall debut, one of the most prestigious concert halls in Europe, playing Tim Garland’s “Cello and Saxophone Concerto.” At Westminster Abbey, Abel gave a solo performance of Benjamin Britten’s “Cello Suite” as part of their Saint Cecelia Festival.
Learn more about Abel on his website, follow him on Facebook, and check out the extraordinary videos on his YouTube channel. Abel joins the Cape Symphony for Passport to Africa on January 25 and 26.
