Abel Selaocoe

He is a cultural crossover artist with his cello, combining Baroque music, such as Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suites, with his own compositions derived from his South African home. And he uses body percussion as well as a bow, or takes the vocal part.

The ‘Selaocoe one-man band’ moves effortlessly and unrestrictedly between centuries and continents, always in search of new sounds. And so the cello can sound like an Eritrean violin or an African lute. Then in the next moment Selaocoe goes back to classical and plays ‘Papa Bach’, as he fondly call him.

Improvisation might be Selaocoe’s true home, for his passion is discovering new things and building bridges. He tells stories, composes and curates programmes that underline what diverse musical traditions share, so as to extend the horizon of classical music and reach a new and wider audience.