Y-oY-o Ma

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

I had the special chicken parmesan dinner at 5:00 p.m.  The hot vegetable soup was delicious and hot.  The main course was tepid to cold (vegetables, pasta).

I had plenty of time to change clothes for the 8:00 p.m. symphony concert with Y-o Y-o Ma.

        

When we first learned about the concert, Marilyn Minor offered me a ride with her friend Kevin.  I approached her today and she said that Kevin does not drive any more and she is riding with someone else.  That left me without a ride, since others seemed to have full cars.  I arranged for a Lyft.  Marilyn called to tell me that Cookie Anderson has room in the car she is riding in.  Cookie was able to include me with her friend June, who was driving and Barbara Todd.  June arranged for valet service, and dropped us off at the door.

The hall was filling fast.  Chuck and Bonnie Zahnow sat in front of me.  Many SRS residents arranged to be here also.  The seats behind the orchestra reserved for the chorus were completely filled.

A representative of Mayor Johnson presented Conductor Ken-David Masur with an award honoring him for his contributions to the symphony and the community.

Conductor Masur opened with Beethoven's Symphony No. 8, that got a standing ovation.

After a long intermission came the thrill of the evening.  Y-o Y-o Ma came on stage with his cello, and was welcomed with sustained applause.

Needless to see his playing of Anton Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B minor was magnificent.  I was completely entranced.  I had a perfect view of him which made my evening complete.

After thunderous applause and Brovos, he could not escape without an encore.  He and the orchestra played "Adoration", again with great appreciation from the audience.

I think everyone in the audience left rather in a trance, not believing that they were able to witness this momentous event.

We went to the main entrance where we thought would be the place to claim the car.  June was directed to the large reception hall where a long line had formed with the same purpose.

Standing behind us was Concertmaster Jinwoo Lee who looked taller than he looked on stage (and he was smiling!).  I asked to shake the hand that shook the hand of Y-o Y-o Ma and we laughed because his hand had become quite sought after.

We finally got to the podium where June could present her claim ticket and waited about 15 minutes until a valet brought up the car.  Those guys really earn their money, the way they have to run to fetch cars.  The cost of the service is $40.

On the way back to SRS all the talk was about how wonderful we felt with this perfect evening.