Alfian Emir Adytia (Emir Cello)
Cello
⟹ Indonesia, 1992
⟹ 2nd x Cello Biënnale (2022, 2026)
⟹ Plays a
Alfian Emir Adytia (Emir Cello) is an Indonesian cellist, performer, and composer known for his boundary-defying mix of classical music, jazz, metal, and Indonesian traditional music.
Alfian took cello lessons in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, until 2016, and went on to study with Larissa Groeneveld at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Alongside his classical training, he also developed as an arranger and composer. He has played in various orchestras and ensembles such as the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra, Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, and the National Youth Orchestra of The Netherlands. He has made appearances at the Minimal Music Festival, Yogyakarta Contemporary Music Festival, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, and Tong Tong Fair.
Alfian was already a part of the CELLOFEST programme in 2022 with his band Treswara, with which he and his bandmates combined their Indonesian roots with their shared love of electronic music, jazz, and rock.
In 2025, under his artist name Emir Cello, Alfian released the album DECOLMUSEUM, in which he tells the story of his ancestors who fought for the independence of Indonesia. The album also symbolises his own ‘decolonisation’: breaking free from the constraints of trying to fit into one particular music genre.
