Quenton Xavier Blache
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), in partnership with the San Francisco Symphony and cellist Gautier Capuçon, announced that Quenton Xavier Blache, 22, will receive a $5,000 commission under the umbrella of the Emerging Black Composers Project (EBCP). The new piece is to be featured on an upcoming album from Gautier Capuçon and premiered by the cellist at Davies Symphony Hall in the 2024–25 season.
Blache was anonymously selected by Capuçon from the 2023 Emerging Black Composers Project applications. “Through my close relationship with the San Francisco Symphony, I became aware of their exciting Emerging Black Composers Project with SFCM and the incredibly talented pool of applicants they received each year,” said Capuçon. “An album project I am working on seemed like a perfect opportunity to offer another commission, and I knew when I heard Quenton’s submission that he would write beautifully for the cello. I was thrilled to learn later that he was a cellist himself, and I’m looking forward to working with him on this new piece.”
Quenton Xavier Blache is a cellist and composer based in Los Angeles and a graduate of the University of Southern California (USC) Thornton School of Music. He has a bachelor’s degree in cello performance and music composition, and a minor in Chinese. Blache has performed in the U.S. and in Europe.
As a composer, Blache has written works for the Little Orchestra Society, North Carolina Chamber Music Institute, MYCO Youth Chamber Orchestra, Sphinx Organization, and more.
