Yo-Yo Ma News

Music won and the NBA lost when Amit Peled chose the cello over basketball. Peled, who stands 6-foot-5, says that as a young man he had to decide between a future dribbling basketballs and a future bowing four strings. He chose the life of a musician, although today at 44 he continues to follow his favorite b-ball teams and shoot hoops with his children.

Falu's Bazaar is a new vibrant and diverse album of Indian children's music from New York based Falu, an international artist known for her unique blending of modern and classical stylings in her Bollywood Orchestra shows. This playful yet educational collection is the first of its kind, teaching South Asian culture through a spirited presentation to today's youth in three languages- English, Hindi and Gujarati (out this Friday, 2/16!)

On Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 8pm, American Classical Orchestra, "the nation's premier orchestra dedicated to period instrument performance" (Vulture), closes out its 2017-2018 season with the return of celebrated contralto Avery Amereau in a program of bright light and visible darkness at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Amereau takes center stage with ACO Men's Chorus in a performance of Brahms' Alto Rhapsody, paired with Schubert's iconic Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" and Gesang der Geister for male chorus and low strings. The program ends with a contrasting symphony by little-known composer Ferdinand Ries, a student of Beethoven in Bonn.

Blossom Music Center, The Cleveland Orchestra's summer home, marks its 50th anniversary this summer. The Cleveland Orchestra will present a special season for its annual Blossom Music Festival and a summer-long celebration for this milestone year.

The Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF) are thrilled to announce programming for the third annual Tilt Kids Festival, featuring six premieres of whimsical, thoughtful, and rigorously made works for children across six venues throughout New York City, March 3-18. Described by The New York Times as "French in origin, fantastical in concept, and freewheeling in execution," the festival will engage kids of all ages with the work of renowned artists across multiple disciplines. Many events are free; for ticketed events, please visit www.tiltkidsfestival.org.

The Union County Performing Arts Center is hosting An Evening of Excellence featuring classical performers from the internationally acclaimed Concert Artists Guild on March 10. This event is sponsored in part by Covanta Energy and will feature mezzo-soprano Naomi Lousia O'Connell, clarinetist Yoonah Kim, pianist Ko-Eun Yi, and double bassist Sam Suggs.

Entering the sixth decade of a noted global career, pianist Misha Dichter will be presented by the Key Pianists concert series on Wednesday evening, February 21st, 2018 at 7:30 pm at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Mr. Dichter's program will feature solo piano works by Schubert and Scriabin; he will be joined by his wife-pianist Cipa Dichter-in piano duets by Schubert and Copland.

The Union County Performing Arts Center is hosting An Evening of Excellence featuring classical performers from the internationally acclaimed Concert Artists Guild on March 10. This event is sponsored in part by Covanta Energy and will feature mezzo-soprano Naomi Lousia O'Connell, clarinetist Yoonah Kim, pianist Ko-Eun Yi, and double bassist Sam Suggs.

The Hollywood Bowl, one of the leading outdoor music venues in the world and the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was honored as the Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue last night at the 29th Annual Pollstar Awards at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. This distinction marks the 14th consecutive nomination and subsequent award for the iconic venue and affirms the Hollywood Bowl as a premiere destination for performers and audiences alike.   Renowned for its exquisite setting, the Hollywood Bowl plays host to a tremendous diversity of artists, from classical and pops to jazz, rock, and world music.

Legendary songwriter, recording artist and performer Paul Simon will bring his farewell concert tour to Las Vegas Sunday, May 27 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Homeward Bound - The Farewell Tour will encompass shows across North America, the United Kingdom and Europe, with Simon and his band bringing to the stage a stunning, career-spanning repertoire of timeless hits and classic songs which have permeated and influenced popular culture for generations. 

Music Director Carlos Miguel Prieto will lead the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in its Carnegie Hall debut on Tuesday, February 27 at 8:00 PM in Stern Auditorium. The concert will feature works inspired by exotic locations by Philip Glass and Silvestre Revueltas. Carnegie Hall presents the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Carlos Miguel Prieto as part of Carnegie Hall's celebration of Philip Glass, the 2017-2018 Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair.

The World Science Festival and Con Edison are pleased to announce that City of Science, the touring mini-metropolis of mind-expanding demonstrations and hands-on activities for families, comes to the Bronx on Sunday, March 11.

Legendary songwriter, recording artist and performer Paul Simon, will embark on his farewell concert tour on May 16 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at Rogers Arena. Homeward Bound The Farewell Tour will encompass shows across North America, the United Kingdom and Europe, with Simon and his band bringing to the stage a stunning, career-spanning repertoire of timeless hits and classic songs which have permeated and influenced popular culture for generations.

The world's biggest selling jazz instrumentalist, CHRIS BOTTI, returns to Australia in early 2018, playing at the nation's leading concert venues.

MISTER ROGERS: IT'S YOU I LIKE Premieres March 2018 on PBS

Sadler's Wells today announced 20 landmark commissions to mark the 20th anniversary of its iconic London theatre. Natalia Osipova, Mark Morris, William Forsythe, Sharon Eyal and Akram Khan are among the internationally acclaimed artists presenting new work, which will be produced or co-produced by Sadler's Wells in 2018.

Maria de Buenos Aires, a 90-minute opera by Astor Piazzolla and librettist Horacio Ferrar, is the latest in the San Diego Opera's innovative Detour Series. According to the company's website, the series name indicates its productions are stops on 'a route that is different from the ordinary.' Piazzolla's opera is decidedly such a stop. Unlike probably any other operatic work, far more of the libretto is spoken than sung, dance scenes feature tango rather than ballet, and the surrealistic libretto intensifies mood and emotion, much as music does, without adding much clarity to the plot line. That leaves a lot of space for production crew creativity. Director John de los Santos took advantage. He kept the cast in eye-catching motion and tailored scenes to make major plot lines clearer. Still, Piazzolla and Ferrar weren't after realism. Without a complete rewrite of the libretto, the opera, or tango operetta as Piazzolla called it, will have as much in common with the paintings of surrealist painter Salvador Dali as Puccini's verismo.

For more than thirty years, Turtle Island Quartet has reinvented the role of the modern string quartet through its Grammy-winning albums and arrangements. This spring, the Quartet honors the impact of legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker with a new album, Bird's Eye View, out February 9, 2018 from Azica. The Quartet will celebrate with a CD release concert at Buck's County Playhouse (70 S. Main Street, New Hope PA 18938) on February 10, 2018 at 8 pm. The genius of Parker's improvisations almost single-handedly catapulted jazz from pop style into art music, indelibly altering the musical landscape of America. Tickets are $35-$45; purchase at www.bcptheater.org or call 215-862-2121.

S&R Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting talented individuals with high aspirations in the arts, sciences and social entrepreneurship, today announced the winners of the 2018 S&R Washington Award including one Grand Prize winner. The five recipients will be honored at the S&R Washington Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC this spring.

The New York Philharmonic announces program updates for its Lunar New Year Concert and Gala, led by Long Yu, on Tuesday, February 20, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. The program will feature Andy Akiho's Ricochet, Concerto for Ping Pong, Violin, Percussion, and Orchestra, featuring Philharmonic violinist Elizabeth Zeltser (in her Philharmonic solo debut), ping pong players Ariel Hsing and Michael Landers (Philharmonic debuts), and percussionist David Cossin (Philharmonic debut). As previously announced, the program will also include Li Huanzhi's Spring Festival Overture and Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, with pianist Serena Wang, the Farmers' Chorus of the Yunnan Province, soprano Vanessa Vasquez, tenors Chad Johnson and Issachah Savage, and bass Alex Rosen, all in their Philharmonic debuts (the additional soprano and mezzo-soprano will be announced at a later date).