Abel Selaocoe, Cello and Vocals

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Courtesy Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech

"… once the performance begins, the music just flows from him without a second's drop in intensity." — The Arts Desk

South African cellist, singer, and composer Abel Selaocoe is “one of the most captivating performers the classical music world can lay a claim on” (The Guardian).

A joyous phenomenon brimming with new ideas and approaches, the brilliant artist leads a musical adventure that will leave the audience breathless, inspired, and utterly transformed. Share in this experience with Abel Selaocoe at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech Thursday, October 2, 2025!

Challenging the limits of the cello, Selaocoe moves seamlessly across genres and styles, masterfully improvising, vocalizing, and creating his own percussion. This rich evening of solo music includes two center co-commissioned pieces, Bach, and some of the cellist’s original works. Don’t miss the chance to witness an artist redefining what the cello — and live music — can be.

Selaocoe has established himself as a leading voice in reimagining classical music. Redefining the parameters of the cello, he is devoted to composing works and curating programs that highlight the links between Western and non-Western musical traditions, broadening the horizons of classical music to reach a more diverse audience. In 2023 he was awarded the RPS Instrumentalist Award for his performances and collaborations, which "blaze with creation, sending audiences home on a high."

Selaocoe thrives in exploratory settings, developing new projects with contemporaries, and enjoys close collaborations with musicians from a medley of genres, including Bernhard Schimpelsberger, Seckou Keita, Manchester Collective, Giovanni Sollima, and Dudù Kouaté. In 2016 Selaocoe formed Chesaba — a trio specialising in music from the African continent, including many of his own compositions — and in 2022 formed the Bantu Ensemble.

Selaocoe is artistic partner of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, artist-in-association with the BBC Singers, and artist-in-residence with Kölner Philharmonie, performing with each several times throughout the season. For the 2024-2025 season, he made his debut at Verbier Festival with a solo recital and toured internationally with the Bantu Ensemble, including the quartet’s debut performances at Carnegie Hall, La Jolla Music Society, and Trondheim Chamber Music Festival. He also tours the U.K. and Europe with Manchester Collective. 

Selaocoe performed his solo cello concerto, Four Spirits, throughout 2024-2025, including performances with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal and a European tour with Aurora Orchestra. The 2024-2025 season also featured the world premieres of two works Selaocoe composed for the Signum Quartet and the Hermes Experiment. 

Selaocoe completed an International Artist Diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2018. In 2021 he was named an inaugural Power Up Music Creator participant in PRS Foundation’s new initiative to address anti-Black racism and racial disparities in the music sector, and he received a Paul Hamlyn Foundation award for his compositional work. 

An exclusive recording artist with Warner Classics, Selaocoe plays a copy of a circa 1735 Montagnana, which was made by Robin Aitchison in 2020 with the generous support of the Alan Powell Trust. 

This is Selaocoe's first performance at the center.

Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre

This performance will last approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.

*Run times listed here are based on information provided at this time and are subject to change.

Tickets: Category A - $55 | Category B - $40 | Category C - $20 | $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under

15%-25% subscription discounts available

Individual tickets on sale Thursday, July 31, 10 AM

Click here to purchase tickets.