Cello Performances by Quenton Blache ’19

Solo Performance of “Schelomo: Rhapsodie Hébraïque” by Ernest Bloch
with the USC Thornton Symphony, Carl St. Clair, conductor

Performance of “afloat” for piano trio
with Evan Llafet, violin, and Kiko Velasco, piano

Composed by Quenton Blache (2021)
Blache said, “‘afloat’ is about keeping one’s head up and ‘above water’ during hardship, which many may find relevant during these times. The piece comprises three main underlying motifs that transform throughout, undergoing constant harmonic and rhythmic changes. This is a representation of focus and determination even through the surrounding chaos.”

About Quenton Blache ’19

Blache is a cellist and composer based in Los Angeles and a graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music. He has a bachelor’s degree in cello performance and composition and a minor in Chinese. He is currently attending USC’s acclaimed master’s program in screen scoring. Quenton has performed in Carnegie Hall, South America, Europe and Asia as a member of Sphinx Virtuosi, a professional string ensemble of Black and Latinx players, and in the National Youth Orchestra of the USA. He soloed the Dvorak Concerto with the Peninsula Symphony in February 2022. In August 2022, he performed in France as a member of the USC Honors Quartet at the Rencontres franco-américaines de Musique de Chambre Festival in collaboration with musicians from the Paris Conservatory. Serving as a cello hand double and background musician actor in the Blumhouse Productions 2020 Amazon Prime movie “Nocturne” allowed him to merge his love of music and film. He is the 2021 winner of the USC Bach Competition, Undergraduate Division and the 2023 winner of the USC Strings Concerto Competition. He performed Bloch’s “Schelomo” with the USC Thornton Symphony in October 2023.

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. His most recent string orchestra work, “Habari Gani,” was performed by Sphinx Virtuosi on the group’s fall tour, including a New York premiere at Carnegie Hall in October 2023. He is especially passionate about composition for visual media and has scored numerous short films and documentaries. Blache was also the composer for the Resilience Project, a climate change “art-ivist” performance series that is a part of the inaugural USC Arts & Climate Collective. In his spare time, he enjoys playing chess and aspires to be an International Master. He currently studies screen scoring under celebrated composer Patrick Kirst and cello under accomplished cellist Andrew Shulman.

Photo courtesy of Yu Hang Tan.