The Free Spirit of Cellist Abel Selaocoe

By Leilani Polk

The Seattle Symphony welcomes South African cellist Abel Selaocoe for an electrifying program that comes to a head with Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique and opens with Selaocoe's fresh Symphony co-commission, Four Spirits (arranged by Benjamin Woodgates). The 20-minute work had its world debut with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in March. American audiences can experience Four Spirits for the first time ever when it has its U.S. premiere at Benaroya Hall this weekend.

What's so great about Abel Selaocoe (pronounced "se-lau-cho-way"), you ask? Here are six answers:

When he didn't have access to an instrument during the week, Selaocoe practiced on a broomstick with a paper drawing of the cello strings that his older brother Sammy made for him. Selaocoe grew up in Sebokeng, a township south of Johannesburg that was established by South Africa’s apartheid government in 1965. Sammy, who played bassoon and took classes at the African Cultural Organization of South Africa (ACOSA), introduced Selaocoe to classical music. Soon enough, Selaocoe also started attending ACOSA too, picked up recorder, then studied violin, flute and tuba before making his way to cello. He was drawn to the cello because it could be both melodic and percussive. The school ultimately recognized Selaocoe’s potential and provided him with an instrument to take home, allowing him to devote his after-school time to practicing. 

Improvisation is an important part of Selaocoe's creative process. During his time at Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, he began to explore improvisation and composition. In an interview with The Guardian, he said that every day he has “a few minutes of improvisational flow where I do not stop or impose judgment. It often starts with the voice, and if I don’t like it, I just carry on until I find the flow … I love improvisation because we can always have a fresh conversation. And I love composition because it’s everywhere. It’s waiting for you to take it. It’s about being conscious of what could be.”  

Selaocoe released a fantastic debut album last year. Where Is Home (Hae Ke Kae) reflects his diverse influences, from traditional South African and Tanzanian music to J.S. Bach and the Italian baroque composer Giovanni Platti. In his own compositions, he often uses a form of South African overtone singing called umngqokolo, intoning in deep guttural sounds while improvising on his cello. Through his music, Selaocoe creates an environment for himself and the audience to feel empowered, nurtured and challenged. He's described his musical journey partly as a merging of his dual identities as a classical musician and African man: “I’ve had to learn to allow classical music and my culture to live in one space rather than separate them.” From this dynamic vantage point, Selaocoe brings forth music that pushes existing boundaries into a bigger world of his own making.  

The world's most famous contemporary cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, plays on the album's first track, Ibuyile I'Africa ("Africa is Back"). According to Selaocoe, "I came up with this wonderful arrangement as an ode to one of South Africa’s legends, Desmond Tutu. He and other icons like Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela fought for our freedom, and I stand on their shoulders. When I go to Europe, when I perform anywhere in the world, it’s because of their efforts that I’m allowed these experiences. I’m also really honoured to have had one of my role models, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, play on this song. Speaking of identity, he’s someone who has paved the way for more cellists to seek out their own identities, find their voices and have a reason to touch and to reflect the society around us." Check out video below of the making of the track.

His Seattle Symphony co-commission is spiritually influenced. From his artist statement: 

“Four Spirits is a powerful combination of direct spiritual influences from the township of Sebokeng, South Africa, beginning with understanding the conversations we can have with our ancestors through the oldest and youngest members of the family. 

“Coupling the voice and cello gives this work a sense of true storytelling with an image of a leader communicating with the community. The first movement begins with giving thanks to traditional healers for bridging a gap between the modern world and the advice of our Ancestors. 

“The second movement speaks of children as a huge inspiration for speaking an uninhibited language that is full of wisdom. Constantly teaching humans about instinct and humor as an integral part of the experience. 

“The concerto focuses on universal concepts like prayer: clarifying its definition as a universal experience rather than a religious one. The constant need to have faith as we cannot control the next moment. From this comes the idea of surrender.  

“And lastly, celebrating community and gathering as one of the most life affirming experiences. Through the use of the voice, we create an empowered and inspiring space of unity and purpose.”  

The world premiere of Four Spirits with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra was an "enthralling, high-energy affair." The Scotsman's Ken Walker wrote "The cello was just part of the armoury: as much focus was placed on his evocative singing, his hyperactive physicality and the theatrical partnership he engaged in with guest percussionist Bernhard Schimpelsberger. Selaocoe was frequently up on his feet gesticulating to the players, even to the audience whom he charmed into vocalised action for a participative, ritualistic finale. ... Amid all this animated razzmatazz was an enthralling, continuous four-movement work, fusing African and Western influences, opening with an ecstatic spiritualism, embracing variously the innocence of childhood and the intensity of societal faith expressed through free range musical vocabulary. Selaocoe’s extraordinary vocal versatility ranged from exhilarating incantations to guttural growls that shook the rafters, often accompanied simultaneously by his own mystical counterpoints on cello or in intimate dialogue with Schimpelsberger."

Check out the full review here and don't miss out on your chance to see Selaocoe with the Seattle Symphony!

Abel Selaocoe's performances and commission are generously underwritten by The Richard E. Lang and Jane Lang Davis Living Music Program.

Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique is presented as part of the Seattle Symphony’s New Music WORKS initiative, which is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. New Music WORKS features commissions, concerts and educational activities that use composition as a catalyst for collaboration and engagement in music.