Day 20: Tanglewood Concert, Ben Zander, and Yo-Yo Ma?!?!?

I was wrong when I thought the hype of our Carnegie concert two days ago would be the greatest. It all happened right when I stepped into the hall for our concert and saw the back wall open up to a green lawn packed with people. I had just began to settle into my seat, warming-up, when my fellow cellists came rushing on stage exclaiming in excited voices: "Yo-Yo Ma is backstage! He's backstage!"

My Reaction

And sure enough, there he was, walking back into the concert hall and settling himself down in a seat. I was so excited and I hoped that he would come back during intermission so I could meet him!

The first half of the concert went well. Bihn Park, a fellow cellist, gave a wonderful speech introducing the Britten Violin Concerto. The acoustics of Ozawa Hall were spectacular, and even though the hall wasn't as resonant with all the people inside (compared to during our dress rehearsal), I could still hear Gil Shaham crystal clear during all movements of the Britten.

During intermission, sure enough, Yo-Yo Ma was there with his smiling face and friendly demeanor. Out of all the excitement, NYO musicians literally mobbed him in the hallways. I was a little late getting off stage, so I could barely see him by the time I got backstage. It was overwhelming, and I didn't want to push through the crowd. Instead, I loitered around on the outskirts of the pack, catching an occasional glimpse of him laughing. Oh how I wished I could be on the inside!

I really wanted to introduce myself.

But then something amazing happened: I met Maestro Benjamin Zander, the current director of BYPO (Boston Youth Philharmonic Orchestra). His openness and friendliness immediately touched me. He knew I was attending the Harvard/NEC joint program next year, and he wanted to let me know about attending BYPO for the next year. Never had I been as excited for college as I was then.

All of a sudden, I heard a call for a cello section picture with Yo-Yo Ma. Now I had an excuse to wheedle through the crowd. But even after Chris Lee took our photo, everyone started speaking at once - until Maestro Zander came along and gave Yo-Yo Ma a giant hug. He explained that Yo-Yo Ma had played a concerto as a freshman at Harvard under his direction. Then the best thing happened: Maestro Zander introduced me personally to Yo-Yo Ma! Even though Yo-Yo Ma had to leave to get back in the audience right away, I got to shake his hand and introduce myself as a to-be Boston dweller!

Whee!