PITTSFIELD – After Yo-Yo Ma received his second COVID-19 vaccine at Berkshire Community College on Saturday, he turned his 15-minute observation period into a concert for the newly inoculated.
The world-renowned and part-time Berkshires-based cellologist has completed his vaccination course at the field clinic and “wanted to give something back,” COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative told The Eagle Richard Hall of Berkshire.
Yo-Yo Ma sat down along the wall of the observation area, masked and socially distanced from the others. He continued to spend 15 minutes observing playing the cello to an applauded audience, in what Hall called a “very special” concert that ended the day’s vaccination event.
“What a way to end the clinic,” Hall wrote in an email.
Today at #MyBCC vaccination clinic, people waiting 15 minutes under observation were loved by the musical talents of the single Yo-Yo Ma. 😍 @ Berkshire Community College https://t.co/GOXoEAwfKa
– BerkCommunityCollege (@BerkshireCC) March 13, 2021
@YoYo_Ma it is always an act of class #intheberkshires. Bringing hope and optimism through his beautiful music. #mapoli #GetVaccinated #stopCovid https://t.co/De0sw5yGni
– Smitty Pignatelli (@repsmitty) March 13, 2021
Berkshire Community College shared the news of Yo-Yo Ma’s informal performance on social media, and State Representative William “Smitty” Pignatelli congratulated the musician on “bringing hope and optimism through his beautiful music.” of the concert on Facebook.
In a poetic circumstance, Yo-Yo Ma’s second coronavirus film and subsequent concert comes exactly a year after he released his first recording of himself singing the instrument using the hashtag #SongsOfComfort.
Amid the fear and uncertainty that marked the first days of the pandemic, the world-renowned musician began sharing records in the hope that they would bring comfort and connection to a frightened nation.
“In these days of anxiety,” he wrote on Twitter on March 13, 2020, “I wanted to find a way to continue to share some of the music that gives me comfort. #SongsOfComfort: Dvořák – “Go Home”
In these days of anxiety, I wanted to find a way to continue to share some of the music that gives me comfort. My first #SongsOfComfort: Dvořák – “Going home” Stay safe. pic.twitter.com/S28w6OlXiZ
– Yo-Yo Ma (@YoYo_Ma) March 13, 2020
It is not the first time that Yo-Yo Ma delights the unsuspecting with music during the pandemic. In September, he and Emanuel Ax played a series of surprise pop-up concerts for key workers, not long after they treated key workers and first responders to a live virtual concert.
Francesca Paris contributed to this report