Chan Centre Dot Com Series: Abel Selaocoe
UK-based South African cellist and vocalist Abel Selaocoe moves seamlessly from concertos and solo recitals to collaborations with world musicians, jazz players, and beatboxers
Date/Time: Nov 27 2020, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Vancouver, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts | Event calendar6265 Crescent Rd.
His “communicative and dynamic playing” (Songlines) combines sublime technique with fiery improvisation, body percussion, and lively vocals. Just two years out of Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music, Abel has appeared as a soloist with the BBC Philharmonic and BBC National Orchestra of Wales, as well as with South African orchestras Kwa-Zulu-Natal, the Johannesburg and Cape Town Philharmonics.
Selaocoe’s Songs of Liberation honours those that came to the aid of Black South Africans during the apartheid era. It links Western and African traditions, taking sonic influence from the zeze (Tanzanian harp), gonji (Ghanaian violin), and uhadi (South African overtone instrument), channeling “a fusion style in which global influences are mixed with jazz improvisation and reminders of their classical backgrounds” (The Guardian). These thought-provoking pieces touch on the systemic racism of apartheid, South African activist Steve Biko’s influence on Black culture, and dreams of a borderless, united Africa.
Selaocoe’s performance is presented in collaboration with the Vancouver Recital Society and Stanford University’s Stanford Live series.
“A fusion style in which global influences are mixed with jazz improvisation and reminders of their classical backgrounds” - The Guardian
A digital production available online only, presented by the Chan Centre
Watch online from Nov 27. Read about the virtual experience here: https://chancentre.com/digital-programming-faq/
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