Yo-Yo Ma to Receive Kennedy Center Honor

So what is a "goat rodeo"? As Yo Yo Ma puts it, "If there were forks in the road and each time there was a fork, the right decision was made, then you get to a goat rodeo."

Looks like the right decision was made, because it's another record-breaking week in the world of cellist Yo-Yo Ma's storied career with the sales and chart success of The Goat Rodeo Sessions (Sony Masterworks).

Yo-Yo Ma's passion for music is infectious and his own collaborations go well beyond the traditional boundaries of classical music. The newly released recording, featuring the talents of cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mandolinist Chris Thile, best known as a member of the alt bluegrass groups Nickel Creek and the Punch Brothers, bassist Edgar Meyer and fiddler Stuart Duncan, debuted at #1 on the Bluegrass, Classical and Classical Crossover Billboard charts. In a rare industry occurrence, its second week of sales surpassed the first with an increase of 37 percent.

The Goat Rodeo Sessions currently sits at #18 on the Billboard Top 200 and at #11 on Soundscan's Digital Album Chart - Ma's highest placements on each of these charts to date. This is a major achievement for Ma who has released over 75 albums (16 Grammy Award winners and 1 Latin Grammy) in the past 30 years, and will be receiving a prestigious Kennedy Center Honor for exemplary lifetime achievement in the performing arts on December 4 in Washington, DC.

The group promoted the release, along with guest vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, with performances on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and The Colbert Report among others. Performances and interviews on NPR's All Things Considered, Tiny Desk Concert, World Café and Soundcheck will also air within the next two weeks.

Watch their recent interview and performances of "Attaboy"and "Quarter Chicken Dark" on The Colbert Report at http://www.colbertnation.com/.

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