Status
Collection
Publication
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Juvenile Nonfiction. Music. Sociology. HTML: The New York Times bestselling author of Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, Joanna Ho, delivers a poignant biography about the musician Yo-Yo Ma, immigration, and using music to build bridges. "Everyone can benefit from Ho's message of music bringing calm and peace to the world." �??Booklist Joanna Ho's lyrical writing tells an inspiring story of Yo-Yo Ma, who challenges conventions, expectations, and beliefs in order to build bridges to unite communities, people, and cultures. A beautiful biography to enjoy and share in the home and the classroom. Before Yo-Yo Ma became one of the most renowned and celebrated cellists, he wanted to play the double bass. But it was too big for his four-year-old hands. Over time, Ma honed his amazing talent, and his music became a reflection of his own life between borders, cultures, disciplines, and generations. Since then, he has recorded over a hundred albums, won nineteen Grammy Awards, performed for eight American presidents, and received the National Medal of the Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, just to name a few accomplishments. Staying true to himself, Yo-Yo Ma performed at the US-Mexico border at the Rio Grande on April 13, 2019, as part of his multi-continent "Bach Project" tour to prove a point�??through music, we can build bridges rather than walls between different cultures… (more)
User reviews
He is notable for his diverse repertoire, in which he brings together melodies from different genres from around the world. The author notes that Ma is drawn to the intersections of cultures, "where traditions are kept alive and new ideas are born."
Ma believes, Ho writes, that good music is a great vehicle to connect cultures and humanity from all walks of life. This conviction is exemplified in this story of how, in 2019, Yo-Yo Ma played a solo on the banks of the Rio Grande, “accompanied by an orchestra of wind and water.”
As the author explains at the end of the book, this performance was part of Yo-Yo Ma’s two-year campaign to increase global connections through music:
“As part of the Bach Project, he performed Johann Sebastian Bach’s six suites for solo cello in 36 places around the world. Along with his concerts, Yo-Yo Ma collaborated with local community leaders at each site to plan a day of action to build a more connected future.”
She observed that in particular, “playing at the border was a powerful symbolic response to the anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies pushed by the president of the United States [Trump] and his supporters during this time.”
A more detailed explanation of Ma’s performance at the border and its significance is given in the back matter, which also includes additional information about Ma, his cello, and the Bach Project; a brief bibliography; and an author’s note.
The lyrical text celebrating the universal elements of Yo-Yo Ma’s music and even his cello (“made from parts that came from lands of many languages”) is enhanced by lovely watercolors with swirling notes done by Teresa Martinez.
Evaluation: Readers age 4 and over will no doubt find the story and pictures enchanting. As an accompaniment while reading, Youtube has many video recordings of Yo-Yo Ma.