February 3, 2004
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu
UCSB Arts & Lectures Presents Brilliant Cellist Yo-Yo Ma—His First Santa Barbara Recital in 20 Years
Summary Facts:
- Yo-Yo Ma
- The only U.S. solo recital by Mr. Ma in the 2003-2004 season
- Mr. Ma will play a selection from the Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites
- The first fundraiser in Arts & Lectures’ 45 year history
- Saturday, March 6
- 4 pm / UCSB Campbell Hall
- Remaining tickets: $250 concert/dinner tickets (two tickets available to those making a $1000 gift to Arts & Lectures)
- Free public master class at 12 noon at UCSB Campbell Hall
- Tickets & Information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535
The highlight of UCSB Arts & Lectures’ 45th season will be a rare and intimate recital by Yo-Yo Ma, widely regarded as the greatest cellist of his generation, on Saturday, March 6, 2004 at 4 pm at UCSB Campbell Hall. The Boston Globe asserts, “There is hardly a virtuoso of any instrument who is as complete, profound, passionate and humane a musician as Ma.” Ma’s first Santa Barbara appearance in 20 years and his only U.S. solo recital in the 2003-2004 season, this event is also Arts & Lectures’ first fundraiser in its 45-year history of contributing abundantly and imaginatively to the cultural life of California’s Central Coast. “We are very grateful to be able to celebrate our anniversary with such a preeminent and gifted artist,” says Arts & Lectures’ Director Celesta Billeci. “It’s hard to imagine a better gift to the community than the chance to hear Yo-Yo Ma play a selection of the Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites in the relatively intimate Campbell Hall setting.”
Ma is an exclusive Sony Classical artist, and his discography of over 50 albums (including 14 Grammy Award winners) reflects his wide-ranging interests. His two most recent recordings are Obrigado Brazil, an album of Brazilian music, from classical to bossa nova and samba, and Paris—La Belle Epoque, Ma’s new recording of French music by Fauré, Massenet and Saint-Saëns for cello and piano, with pianist Kathryn Stott. In addition to the standard concerto repertoire, he has recorded many of the large body of works that he has commissioned or premiered. He has also made several successful recordings that defy categorization, among them Hush with Bobby McFerrin, Appalachia Waltz and Grammy-winner Appalachian Journey with Mark O’Connor and Edgar Meyer, and Piazzolla: Soul of the Tango. Ma’s other recent releases include Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet, Yo-Yo Ma Plays the Music of John Williams and Classic Yo-Yo. Across the full range of releases Ma remains one of the best-selling recording artists in the classical field.
Yo-Yo Ma maintains a balance between his engagements as soloist with orchestras throughout the world and his recital and chamber music activities. He draws inspiration from a wide circle of collaborators, creating programs with such artists as Emanuel Ax, Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Pamela Frank, Jeffrey Kahane, Mark Morris, the late Isaac Stern and Wu Man. Each of these collaborations is fueled by the artists’ interactions, often extending the boundaries of a particular genre. One of 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.
Yo-Yo Ma was born to Chinese parents living in Paris. He began to study the cello with his father at age 4 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 sought out a traditional liberal arts education to expand upon his conservatory training, graduating from Harvard University in 1976. Ma and his wife have two children. He plays two instruments, a 1733 Montagnana cello from Venice and the 1712 Davidoff Stradivarius.
Yo-Yo Ma will teach a Corwin Master Class co-sponsored by the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation’s SAGE program from 12 noon-2 pm on Saturday, March 6 at UCSB Campbell Hall. This event is free and open to public observation. Seating is unreserved and there will be no advance tickets orders. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 11 am in front of Campbell Hall.
Yo-Yo Ma’s residency is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and generously supported by the Ford Motor Company Fund, Stephen & Carla Hahn, Virginia Castagnola-Hunter/Castagnola Family Foundation, Lord & Lady Ridley-Tree, Fredric E. Steck & Kelly Le Brock, Chris & Alicia Lancashire, Ivan & Genevieve Reitman and Au Bon Climat Winery. The only remaining tickets are $250 for both the concert and a post-concert dinner with Mr. Ma at a private Santa Barbara residence. Individuals and couples making a $1000 gift to UCSB Arts & Lectures may buy two concert/dinner tickets. The $1000 gift also makes one a member of Arts & Lectures Producers Circle, with all attendant benefits.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.