Yo-Yo Ma News

Following their 2018 engagement, the esteemed Mark Morris Dance Group returns for the D.C. premiere of its latest evening-length work Pepperland, a Kennedy Center co-commission, November 13a?"16 in the Eisenhower Theater. Renowned choreographer Mark Morris continues to explore the relationship between movement and music with Pepperland, which pays homage to The Beatles's 1967 trailblazing album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Often hailed as the first-ever a?oeart rocka?? album, the Beatles's groundbreaking work pushed the recording-studio technology of the late 1960s to the limit and is widely regarded as the best rock n' roll album in history. Created at the request of the City of Liverpool, England, home of the founding band members, the colorful, exuberant Pepperland includes Morris's elements of humor and musicality. Of the work, Mark Morris stated, a?oeThis great album set a radical new direction for popular music and thought. I was just a child. Fifty years later, with contemporary eyes and ears, we are presenting a comment on, and a rethinking of, this profound cultural artifact with all of the imagination, surprise, humor, and bizarrity intact.a??

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota presents cellist Zlatomir Fung, the first of three rising young stars coming to Sarasota from Young Concert Artists International, the non-profit agency that's helped launch the careers of such greats as Pinchas Zukerman, Emanuel Ax, Dawn Upshaw and many others. Fresh off his win at the recent International Tchaikovsky Competition a?" considered by many to be the a?oeOlympics of classical musica?? - Fung is well on his way to international stardom. In celebration of Beethoven's 250th anniversary and in a cello tour de force, Fung and pianist Angie Zhang will perform two separate all-Beethoven programs, covering the variations and all five sonatas for cello and piano, staples of the cello repertoire that essentially depict the full life story of the famed composer. The two performances, sponsored by Artist Series Concerts FRIENDS, take place on November 2, 7:30 p.m. and November 3, 3:00 p.m., at the Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. Tickets are $25 - $45 and are available at www.ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or by calling 941-306-1202, M-F, 10 a?" 4. Those interested in purchasing tickets for both performances can call 941-306-1202 to receive a 15% package discount.

El Ensamble Tamayo interpretará Spiral VI de Chinary Ung, Between Tides de Toru Takemitsu y Cartógrafos del aire de Pablo M. Teutli, el miércoles 9 de octubre a las 19:00 horas en la Sala Manuel M. Ponce del Palacio de Bellas Artes, en el marco del 41 Foro Internacional de Música Nueva Manuel Enríquez.

Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin curates a nine-concert Perspectives series during the 2019a?"2020 season, including performances with three orchestras with whom he has built his remarkable careera?"The Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, and The MET Orchestraa?"as well as a rare recital appearance with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.

The revolutionary concert series GatherNYC continues its mindful musical mornings this Sunday with winner of the 2018 Naumburg International Violin Competition Grace Park, and continues the following Sunday with pianist Jenny Lin, described by The Washington Post as 'surely one of the most interesting pianists in America right now'. Concerts take place at 11am at SubCulture, with doors at 10:30 for complimentary coffee, pastry and community. 

Comprised of violists Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus, both classically trained, Black Violin adds DJ SPS and drummer Nat Stokes for its 2019 Impossible Tour. With a unique blend of classical and hip-hop music, often described as a?oeclassical boom,' the group strives to overcome stereotypes and encourage people of all ages, races, and economic backgrounds to join together to break down cultural barriers.

CSO Music Director Rossen Milanov and the musicians of the Columbus Symphony feature guest cellist Pablo Ferrández in a performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto, showcasing the intimate voice of the cello in one of its most glorious and moving embodiments. The program will also include the sparkling orchestration of Torres' Tres Pinturas Velazqueñas, an aural reflection of three of the most famous paintings by Diego Velázquez, and conclude with Brahms' rarely performed masterwork, Symphony No. 3.

On the heels of an exciting concert series at Bryant Park this summer, Carnegie Hall Citywide continues this fall bringing music to all five boroughs of New York City throughout the 2019a?"2020 season. Presented in partnership with local community organizations, more than 20 free performances throughout the season showcase outstanding mainstage artists and rising stars, tapping into the pulse of the city and bringing people together to share in the joy of music. Carnegie Hall Citywide builds on Carnegie Hall's tradition of bringing free concerts to New York City neighborhoods for more than 40 years.

For the last three years in January, the attention of the classical music world has turned to Guangzhou, China, where Yo-Yo Ma and some of his closest collaborators work with students in an intense week of education, collaboration, and exploration at Youth Music Culture Guangdong (YMCG).

The Peace Center has added two documentary film screenings to the schedule for October:

Boosey & Hawkes is sad to announce the death of American composer Christopher Rouse, who passed away on Saturday, September 21, at age 70 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Neo-Futurist Ida Cuttler teams up with veteran Chicago director and Neo-Futurist Artistic Associate Halena Kays to present the company's next world premiere: An evening's amusement for yourself and friends, consisting of one thousand and one locutions by a young virtuous maiden whose penchant for potboilers and mastery of chicaneries shall teach us all a lesson in the never-ending wiles of women and the astonishing virtue of the gregarious!!!!!! OR: COMFORTABLE SHOES. Cuttler's premiere Prime Time show was part of the Neo-Lab developmental program during the 18/19 season and will see the full production open at The Neo-Futurist Theater on October 7th, 2019. 

Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble is pleased to announce three Bay Area concerts next month with renowned Armenian folk singer Hasmik Harutyunyan. Their program, titled Gorani: Love Songs to Lost Homelands, will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935), a composer, folk song collector and an icon in the history of Armenia.

In its nearly 90 year history, the Grand Rapids Symphony has welcomed such guest artists as violinist Itzhak Perlman and Midori, cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Janos Starker, and pianists Van Cliburn, Emanuel Ax and Leon Fleisher to its stages. Many have played here more than once. 

WFUV, New York (90.7 FM/wfuv.org), welcomes American Public Media's 'Live From Here,' with host Chris Thile, to its Sunday evening lineup beginning September 8, from 6-8 p.m., EDT, on 90.7FM, also streaming at WFUV.org.  

For the second year, the Peace Center invites audiences to dive deeper into the artistic works heading to the main stage through Peace Interludes. These FREE musical happy hours hosted by Peace Center Artist-in-Residence Igor Begelman pair a musical facet of an upcoming performance with a featured beverage for a multi-sensory sip, listen and learn experience. The featured beverages are available for purchase.

Five guest soloists and the Columbus Symphony Chorus join CSO Music Director Rossen Milanov and the musicians of the Columbus Symphony for The American Festival, performing Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell's monumental oratorio Sanctuary Road based on the writings of William Still, a conductor on the Underground Railroad who helped almost 800 slaves escape to freedom. The program also includes a concert version of Gershwin's American classic, Porgy and Bess.

The Chamber Music Society of Detroit opens its 2019-2020 76th season with the Miró Quartet and clarinetist Anthony McGill at 8:00 PM on Saturday, September 14, 2019.  The concert takes place at Seligman Performing Arts Center, located at 22305 W. 13 Mile Road in Beverly Hills.  In addition to featuring Mozart's masterful Clarinet Quintet, the program includes Glière's Andantino from his String Quartet No. 1 in A major, as well as the Midwest premiere of a?oeHome,a?? a new work by American composer Kevin Puts co-commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit. 

Acclaimed international sand artist Kseniya Simonova partners with the Guy Mendilow Ensemble (GME) to present the U.S. Premiere tour of The Forgotten Kingdom - Sand Stories from October 29 - November 12, 2019 through the United States.