Cellist Abel Selaocoe On Finding Things That Bind Us Together

Soundcheck | Feb 3, 2025

The South African-born, UK-based cellist Abel Selaocoe doesn’t really cross musical boundaries – he ignores them entirely. He’ll play Bach cello suites, but he also writes music that draws on the throat singing and instinctive vocalizations of his South African heritage, as well as works with electronics, cello preparations, and site-specific sound installations. And sometimes, he’ll create a performance that seems to be all of them at once. He has a new album coming called Hymns of Bantu, due on February 21. Abel Selaocoe plays some of those pieces, solo, in-studio. 

Abel Selaocoe appears courtesy of Warner Classics 

Set list: 1.Ka Bohaleng 2. Les Voix Humaines/Tsohle Tsohle 3. Dinaka

Top Stories From Gothamist

How to Avoid Sneaky Phishing Scams

Justice for Epstein Victims Through NYS

New Doc Celebrates NYC's Weird and Wild Public Access TV Experiment

YOU ARE ONLINE