Arts
Follow cellist and composer Abel Selaocoe and his collaborators through the rehearsal and recording of As You Are, his soundwalk for Leeds, which opened in December 2020. Experienced through headphones on a 40-minute walk through central Leeds, As You Are is a major new Opera North commission for the South African-born musician, and sees him joined by the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North, and soloists from across Africa. Here Abel talks about his writing process, the many musical traditions from the African continent embedded within the piece, and his belief that music can open up a space for contemplation and refuge.