Cellist Abel Selaocoe appointed as newest SPCO Artistic Partner

We are excited to announce the appointment of cellist Abel Selaocoe as the newest SPCO Artistic Partner! Selaocoe has exploded onto the music scene — defying genres, pushing boundaries and moving effortlessly between European classical and African folk traditions.

In March 2022, Selaocoe made his SPCO debut with a captivating weekend of performances that had musicians and audience members alike dancing out of their seats and, at times, even on stage. When Selaocoe began to sing a lullaby inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, he welcomed the audience to sing along, and the Ordway resonated with their voices.

The performance was captured on video and is now available for free, on-demand streaming in the SPCO Concert Library.

Watch Abel Selaocoe’s SPCO debut performance for free

“I am beyond excited to be taking up an Artistic Partnership with the SPCO,” Abel said. “The wonderful thing about this collaboration is that it is based on curiosity, a high level of creativity, playing around with the unknown and really celebrating the known. Each concert will have an essence that reflects society or brings a message of well-being for the community. This is a very exciting venture for me and I’m so grateful for it.”