YO-YO MA to Join the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra in a Grand Gala Concert, 6/1

World-renowned cellist YO-YO MA will join Music Director LARRY RACHLEFF and the RHODE ISLAND PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA in a grand gala concert to launch the Philharmonic's 70th anniversary season. Mr. Ma will play Elgar's Cello Concerto with the orchestra. The orchestra will also perform Stravinsky's Firebird Suiteand Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict Overture. The concert takes place Sunday June 1 at 7:00pm at The Vets in Providence, presented by Nortek and sponsored by Taco/The White Family Foundation, the Carter Family Charitable Trust, AmicaInsurance, Capital Properties and Roger Williams University. Media sponsors are the Providence Journal, NBC 10, News Talk 630 and 99.7FM WPRO, Lite Rock 105, and Full Channel. Ticket reservations are available by phone at 401.248.7000 and in person at the RIPO box office, 667 Waterman Ave., East Providence, Monday-Friday 9am-4:30pm.

LARRY RACHLEFF, music director, said: "It is an enormous pleasure and honor for us to collaborate again with Yo-Yo Ma, who is clearly one of the great musical icons today. His grand artistry speaks for itself, and we all have the fondest memories of working with this musical giant eight years ago." Mr. Ma last played with the Rhode Island Philharmonic in March 2006.

DAVID BEAUCHESNE, executive director, added: "We are thrilled that Yo-Yo Ma will be coming to Providence to celebrate some remarkable milestones with us: the Orchestra's 70th season, which begins in September; the anticipation of Music Director Larry Rachleff's 20th Season, which will begin in September 2015; and of course the wonderful renovations to our hall, Veterans Memorial Auditorium, the final stages of which will be completed over the summer. Mr. Ma is a groundbreaking musician; he is a great artist who is also committed to making great art accessible. Through his work in television, education, and with the Silk Road Project he has become perhaps the greatest living ambassador for Classical Music. While here, we are so happy that he will not only perform with our orchestra, but will work with students at our Music School, an experience that we expect will be truly inspiring."

YO-YO MA's multi-faceted career is testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences, and to his personal desire for artistic growth and renewal. Whether performing new or familiar works from the cello repertoire, coming together with colleagues for chamber music or exploring cultures and musical forms outside the Western classical tradition, Mr. Ma strives to find connections that stimulate the imagination.

One of Mr. Ma's goals is the exploration of music as a means of communication and as a vehicle for the migrations of ideas across a range of cultures throughout the world. Expanding upon this interest, in 1998, Mr. Ma established the Silk Road Project, a nonprofit arts and educational organization. Under his artistic direction, the Silk Road Project presents performances by the acclaimed Silk Road Ensemble, engages in cross-cultural exchanges and residencies, leads workshops for students, and partners with leading cultural institutions to create educational materials and programs.

The Project's ongoing affiliation with Harvard University has made it possible to broaden and enhance educational programming. In the 2013-2014 school year, with ongoing partnerships with arts and educational organizations in New York City, it continues to expand Silk Road Connect, a multidisciplinary educational initiative for middle-school students in the city's public schools. Developing new music is also a central undertaking of the Silk Road Project, which has been involved in commissioning and performing more than 60 new musical and multimedia works from composers and arrangers around the world.

As the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant, Mr. Ma is partnering with Maestro Riccardo Muti to provide collaborative musical leadership and guidance on innovative program development for The Institute for Learning, Access and Training at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and for Chicago Symphony artistic initiatives. Mr. Ma's work focuses on the transformative power music can have in individuals' lives, and on increasing the number and variety of opportunities audiences have to experience music in their communities. Mr. Ma and the Institute have created the Citizen Musician Initiative, a movement that calls on all musicians, music lovers, music teachers and institutions to use the art form to bridge gulfs between people and to create and inspire a sense of community. www.citizenmusician.org features stories of Citizen Musician activity across the globe.

Mr. Ma is also widely recognized for his strong commitment to educational programs that bring the world into the classroom and the classroom into the world. While touring, he takes time whenever possible to conduct master classes as well as more informal programs for students - musicians and non-musicians alike. He has also reached young audiences through appearances on "Arthur," "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and "Sesame Street."

Mr. Ma's discography of over 90 albums (including more than 17 Grammy Award winners) reflects his wide-ranging interests. He has made several successful recordings that defy categorization, among them "Hush" with Bobby McFerrin, "Appalachia Waltz" and "Appalachian Journey" with Mark O'Connor and Edgar Meyer and two Grammy-winning tributes to the music of Brazil, "Obrigado Brazil" and "Obrigado Brazil - Live in Concert." Mr. Ma's recent recordings include Mendelssohn Trios with Emanuel Ax and Itzhak Perlman. His new album, "The Goat Rodeo Sessions," with Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile and Stuart Duncan, received the 2013 Grammy for Best Folk Album. Across this full range of releases, Mr. Ma remains one of the best-selling recording artists in the classical field. All of his recent albums have quickly entered the Billboard chart of classical best sellers, remaining in the Top 15 for extended periods, often with as many as four titles simultaneously on the list. In fall 2009, Sony Classical released a box set of over 90 albums to commemorate Mr. Ma's 30 years as a Sony recording artist.

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 soon came with his family to New York, where he spent most of his formative years. Later, his principal teacher was Leonard Rose at The Juilliard School. 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 Sonning Prize (2006), the World Economic Forum's Crystal Award (2008), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2010), the Polar Music Prize (2012), and theVilcek Prize in Contemporary Music (2013). In 2011, Mr. Ma was recognized as a Kennedy Center Honoree. Appointed aCultureConnect Ambassador by the United States Department of State in 2002, Mr. Ma has met with, trained and mentored thousands of students worldwide in countries including Lithuania, Korea, Lebanon, Azerbaijan and China. Mr. Ma serves as a UN Messenger of Peace and as a member of the President's Committee on the Arts & the Humanities. 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.

For additional information, see: www.yo-yoma.com, www.silkroadproject.org, and www.opus3artists.com