Where is Home / Hae ke Kae Abel Selaocoe

• Abel Selaocoe (b. 1992):
• 1 Selaocoe: Ibuyile I'Africa / Africa is Back 06:15
• 2 Selaocoe. Dipolelo/ Recite 00:45
• 3 Selaocoe: Zawose (for Hukwe Zawose) 05:03
• Giovanni Benedetto Platti (1697 - 1763):
• 4 Platti: Cello Sonata No. 7 in D Major, I. 84: I. Adagio 03:32
• 5 Platti: Cello Sonata No. 7 in D Major, I. 84: II. Allegro 02:19
• 6 Platti: Cello Sonata No. 7 in D Major, I. 84: III. Largho 02:57
• 7 Platti: Cello Sonata No. 7 in D Major, I. 84: IV. Presto 01:28
• Abel Selaocoe:
• 8 Selaocoe: Qhawe / Hero 05:45
• 9 Selaocoe: Hlokomela / Take care 04:34
• 10 Selaocoe: Lerato / Love 04:21
• 11 Selaocoe: Seipone / Mirror 03:22
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750):
• 12 J.S.Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: IV. Sarabande 03:10
• Abel Selaocoe:
• 13 Selaocoe: Invocation 00:46
• 14 Ka Bohaleng / On the Sharp Side 03:59
• Johann Sebastian Bach:
• 15 J.S.Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: IV. Sarabande 01:54
• Abel Selaocoe:
• 16 Selaocoe: Ancestral Affirmations 05:00
• Total Runtime 55:10

Info for Where is Home / Hae ke Kae

Genre-busting South African cellist brings unique sounds with improvisation, singing, body percussion and charm.

South African cellist Abel Selaocoe makes his debut on Warner Classics with Where is Home (Hae Ke Kae). Its dual title, in English and Sesotho, reflects the album’s diverse program which draws from vibrant European and African influences: pieces inspired by South African and Tanzanian musical tradition share a space with works by J.S. Bach and Giovanni Benedetto Platti, some of which are renewed with instrumental and lyrical improvisations. The title of the album holds multifaceted significance for the Manchester-based musician: “Home is the place that empowers you; it’s not only a geographical place but in people as well, where you can live a life of empowerment and not of oppression. I’ve learned to find my different homes through the cello.” Abel Selaocoe represents Africa on the move.

"Here’s a star in the making, a brilliant instrumentalist, an inventive singer and an assured performer who can draw the audience into the palm of his hand" (Tim Cumming, The Arts Desk)

“…can’t think of one who radiates so much heart and joy as Abel Selaocoe... winningly combines his cello with throat singing, improvising, exhorting the audience to shout or clap, and treating his body as a percussion instrument." (Geoff Brown, The Times)

Abel Selaocoe, cello
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Elizabeth Kenny, theorbo
Fred Thomas, double bass
Alan Keary, electric bass
Kadialy Kouyate, lute
Alice Zawadzki, vocals
Thandanani Gumede, vocals
Cherise Adams-Burnett, vocals
Colin Alexander, cello
Fred Thomas, piano
Max Baillie, violin
Simran Singh, violin
Fred Thomas, percussion
Mamadou Sarr, drums, congas, percussion
Sidiki Dembele, calabash, djembe

Abel Selaocoe
South African cellist Abel Selaocoe is redefining the parameters of the cello. He moves seamlessly across a plethora of genres and styles, from collaborations with world musicians and beatboxers, to concerto performances and solo classical recitals. Abel combines virtuosic performance with improvisation, singing and body percussion, and has a special interest in curating recital programmes that highlight the links between Western and non-Western musical traditions, with view to helping classical music reach a more diverse audience.

In 2016, Abel formed Chesaba – a trio specializing in music from the African continent, including many of his own compositions. He enjoys close collaborations with musicians from a medley of genres, including Bernhard Schimpelsberger, Tim Garland, Seckou Keita, Giovanni Sollima, Famoudou Don Moye and Gwilym Simcock. He has a close partnership with Manchester Collective, with whom he devised the hugely successful Sirocco programme which has been enjoyed both live and digitally by audiences since 2019. In 2020/21, Abel performed at Kings Place, Norfolk & Norwich and Ryedale Festivals, and performed with ensembles including BBC Concert Orchestra at the EFG London Jazz Festival, Manchester Collective and Britten Sinfonia.

Abel made his solo BBC Proms debut in August 2021, curating a programme with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Chesaba and Gnawa Ensemble. Other highlights of the 2021/22 season include a tour with Manchester Collective and Chesaba of their new collaboration, The Oracle; debuts with St Paul Chamber Orchestra and at Stanford Live; and performances both solo and with Chesaba throughout the UK and Europe.

Abel Selaocoe is an exclusive recording artist with Warner Classics and his debut album Where is Home? (Hae Ke Kae) on the subject of home and refuge will be released on Friday 23 September 2022.

Abel completed his International Artist Diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music in July 2018. Alongside his numerous awards and recognition throughout the industry, in May 2021, Abel was announced as 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.

This album contains no booklet.