Yo-Yo Ma, Cello & Kathryn Stott, Piano

Virginia Arts Festival

He is the preeminent cellist performing today, and the best known classical musician in the world. Yo-Yo Ma’s open-hearted approach to his music and audiences has endeared him to fans around the world—along the way winning new devotees of many forms of music. Born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris, he began his cello studies at age four and soon came with his family to New York, where he attended The Juilliard School. From the Avery Fisher Prize to the Kennedy Center Honors to the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he has earned the most distinguished awards for his artistry. His discography of over 100 albums (including 18 Grammy Award winners) represents some of the best-selling classical recordings of all time, and reveals his far-ranging tastes that embrace cultures from Asia and the Middle East to Appalachia.

After performing together for more than 30 years, the chemistry between Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott is palpable. The British-born pianist, renowned around the world in her own right, is the perfect foil for Ma’s passion and artistry. They will perform a program of Russian classics: Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne, Prokofiev’s Sonata in C Major for Cello and Piano Op. 119, and Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 19.

Past Virginia Arts Festival performances of Yo-Yo Ma have sold out, so order your tickets early to avoid disappointment!