About the Show
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma joins pianist Solon Gordon for a remarkable evening of musical collaboration shaped by curiosity and shared artistry. One of the most celebrated musicians of our time, Ma is known not only for his extraordinary performances and recordings, but for projects that explore music’s ability to foster understanding across cultures. His connection to Charleston and the Martha and John M. Rivers Performance Hall is longstanding, dating back to his performance at the Gaillard’s grand opening in 2015.
Together with Gordon—a dynamic pianist and thoughtful musical partner—this performance offers an intimate and deeply expressive dialogue between two artists. Reflective and engaging, the program highlights the power of music to inspire and bring people together in meaningful ways.
Runtime: 90 minutes.
Please note all times are approximate and subject to change without notice.
About Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma’s multi-faceted career is testament to his belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. Whether performing new or familiar works for cello, bringing communities together to explore culture’s role in society, or engaging unexpected musical forms, Yo-Yo strives to foster connections that stimulate the imagination and reinforce our humanity.
Most recently, Yo-Yo began Our Common Nature, a cultural journey to celebrate the ways that nature can reunite us in pursuit of a shared future. Our Common Nature follows the Bach Project, a 36-community, six-continent tour of J. S. Bach’s cello suites paired with local cultural programming. Both endeavors reflect Yo-Yo’s lifelong commitment to stretching the boundaries of genre and tradition to understand how music helps us to imagine and build a stronger society.
Yo-Yo Ma was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris, where he began studying the cello with his father at age four. When he was seven, he moved with his family to New York City, where he continued his cello studies before pursuing a liberal arts education.
Yo-Yo has recorded more than 120 albums, is the winner of 20 Grammy Awards, and has performed for nine American presidents, most recently on the occasion of President Biden’s inauguration. He has received numerous awards, including the National Medal of the Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Birgit Nilsson Prize. He has been a UN Messenger of Peace since 2006, and was recognized as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
About Solon Gordon
Solon Gordon leads a multifaceted career in music and technology. As a pianist, he specializes in collaborative playing and finds joy in working with a wide range of musicians, from young students to touring professionals. In recent years he has enjoyed partnerships with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, baritone Jack Hornor, clarinetist/composer Jonathan Russell, and violinist Lily Tsai. He also performs frequent solo recitals for his neighbors at Youville Assisted Living.
In his work as a software engineer, Solon has contributed to fields including education technology and distributed databases. He also maintains an extensive live music calendar for the Boston area at bostonshows.org.
Solon is ever grateful to his principal musical mentors: Monique Duphil, at Oberlin Conservatory, and Sandra Dennis, at the Community Music School of Springfield, Massachusetts.
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