Yo-Yo Ma performance in Warren, August 13, 2018

   World famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed with 50 members of the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra and the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra during a special event at the Warren Community Ampitheatre, 321 Mahoning Avenue, NW, Warren, Monday, August 13. The event was part of a community forum titled How Can the Arts – and All of Culture – Serve Our Community? It was free and open to the public. The schedule included:
  • 5 p.m. - Venue opens with food trucks and beverage sales. Local musicians perform in the Ampitheatre.
  • 6 p.m. - Combined Orchestra Concert: Susan Davenny Wyner, Music Director / Conductor, Warren Philharmonic Orchestra; Randall Craig Fleischer, Music Director / Conductor, Youngstown Symphony.
    • ​Introdution / Welcome / Yo-Yo Ma solo.
    • Giuseppe Verdi: La Forza del Destino Overture.
    • Edvard Grieg: In the Hall of the Mountain King.
    • Gioachino Rossini: Fanfare Finale of William Tell Overture.
    • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovksy: Andante Cantabile for Cello and Strings, with Yo-Yo Ma, soloist.
  • 7 p.m. - Panel discussion.
Picture
Picture credit: Google.com
    Yo-Yo Ma was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris. He began to study the cello with his father at age four and three years later moved with his family to New York City, where he continued his cello studies with Leonard Rose at the Juilliard School. After his conservatory training, he sought out a liberal arts education, graduating from Harvard University with a degree in anthropology in 1976.

    He has received numerous awards, including the Avery Fisher Prize (1978), the Glenn Gould Prize (1999), the National Medal of the Arts (2001), the Dan David Prize (2006), the Leonie Sonning Music Prize (2006), the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award (2008), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2010), Kennedy Center Honors (2011), the Polar Music Prize (2012), the Vilcek Prize in Contemporary Music (2013), and the J. Paul Getty Medal Award (2016). He has performed for eight American presidents, most recently at the invitation of President Obama on the occasion of the 56th Inaugural Ceremony. Mr. Ma and his wife have two children.

    He plays two instruments, a 1733 Montagnana cello from Venice and the 1712 Davidoff Stradivarius.
Source: ​http://www.yo-yoma.com/about-2/
    According to his website, Yo-Yo Ma's performance in Warren is part of The Bach Project: Discovering the Culture of Us. The project includes 36 concerts and 36 days of action in the U.S. and other countries. Mr. Ma states, "I believe that culture – the way we express ourselves and understand each other – is an essential part of building a strong society. My hope is that together we can use Bach's music to start a bigger conversation about the #cultureofus."

​   The event had the support of Sunrise Entertainment and other local donors. The WPO received major gifts from:
 PictureYo-Yo Ma performing at the Warren Community Ampitheatre. Photo credit: Judy Solomon.
This page was last revised on September 12, 2018.