The Irish Chamber Orchestra launches its Winter/Spring 2026 season with a performance by celebrated cellist and composer Abel Selaocoe at University Concert Hall, on Tuesday 3 February.
Selaocoe, one of the most in-demand musicians of his generation, brings his distinctive fusion of classical virtuosity and African vocal traditions to what promises to be a rare intimate orchestral experience. Fresh from global acclaim for his album Hymns of Bantu, the South African artist transforms traditional recitals into what have been described as “shared rituals” – blending improvisation, rhythm and storytelling with works by classical masters.
The programme, titled HOME, seamlessly weaves together European and African musical traditions. Janácek’s Suite for Strings opens the evening, flowing into Selaocoe’s own composition Lerato (Love). Debussy’s Cello Sonata and Sibelius’s Romance provide contrasting textures before Selaocoe’s Ibuyile l’Africa (Africa Is Back) delivers what organisers promise will be a “full-tilt celebration of return and identity”. The concert concludes with Kea Morata (I Love Them So), uniting classical and South African sound worlds.
ICO guest leader Nicola Sweeney co-directs, with the orchestra supported by Alan Keary on bass and Bernhard Schimpelsberger on percussion.
Tickets are available at www.irishchamberorchestra.com.