Community: 20 Questions for Yo-Yo Ma

Perhaps the most recognized, decorated, and beloved cellist in the world, Yo-Yo Ma makes his home in the tiny town of Tyringham, Massachusetts, “A Hinterland Settlement,” nestled between Lee and Monterey, the sleepy summer residence of many musicians and composers, past and present. Yet Ma is not here to sleep; he’s an engaged member of the community, attending fire department fundraisers and talks on town history, held in a humble church basement. In addition to his stellar performing and recording career, Ma is committed to education, and to using music as a means to bridge cultures, most prominently as artistic director of the Silk Road Ensemble. He’s also dedicated to expanding the audience for classical music, while exploring and acting as a proponent of other genres, as evinced by his collaborations with Mark O'Connor and Edgar Meyer – Appalachia Waltz and Appalachian Journey; two Grammy-Award-winning recordings of Brazilian music, Obrigado Brazil and Obrigado Brazil - Live in Concert; and his more recent foray into bluegrass, The Goat Rodeo Sessions. Yo-Yo Ma is a key player during Tanglewood’s 75th anniversary season; Rural Intelligence editor Bess Hochstein chose this occasion to pose the Rural Intelligence 20 Questions, plus a few extra, to him.

1. Where do you go when you crave solitude? Tyringham Cobble. 2. Where do you go when you crave buzz? Go to Hilary Somers Deely, she makes a mean Green Greyhound.


3. What's your favorite local library and/or bookstore? Lenox Library, The Bookloft in Great Barrington, their staff picks give wonderful recommendations.

4. What's your favorite place for bargain hunting? Lee Premium Outlets, I'm a real fan. 5. What do you buy for yourself when you need a treat and want to splurge, and what's your cheap thrill? Another blue shirt. Sour cream and onion chips. 6.When your busy schedule allows, what other local performance venues do you attend?

Theater, Ventfort Hall (right), Jacob's Pillow, Bidwell House lectures. 7. What's your favorite way to spend a Sunday morning? Coffee with my wife, reading the Sunday papers. 8. How did you choose to settle in Tyringham? The Deelys and the Cosels introduced us to the magic of the Tyringham Valley years ago. 9. What's your favorite one-hour drive from your home? Visiting friends in Connecticut, exploring the magnificent landscape and towns in between.

10. Where's your favorite place for breakfast? Home, Haven, Lenox coffee shop. 11. What's your favorite hardware store, and why?Lee Hardware, they are so helpful. 12. Whom do you trust to recommend wines? Friends who like wine make great recommendations. 14. What three things do you always do with out of town guests? Tanglewood, picnic, hike. 15. What newspapers, blogs, or websites do you read every day? Berkshire Eagle, Boston Globe, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Google News, BBC, Huffington Post, Rural Intelligence, Daily Beast, Slate. Am I a news junkie or what?

16. How did you and James Taylor start performing together? Caroline Taylor, whom I met years ago when she worked at the BSO, introduced us, and James, adventurous as always, thought he'd give it a try.
17. You’ve played some intimate shows in the Berkshires – on the porch of the Red Lion Inn, at the Mahaiwe – as well as for thousands of music lovers at Tanglewood. Is there something different about a Berkshire audience? It's a different mix from a city audience. Urban folk start to shed city habits in a rural setting, and rural folk are less harried and more in touch with nature's rhythms. 18. Why haven’t we seen plans for a Goat Rodeo show in the Berkshires? Stay tuned.

19. As the Tanglewood audience ages, along with that of other regional performance venues, what can local cultural organizations do to attract new generations? How can the region capitalize on its cultural assets to appeal to younger visitors? I think there are two issues involved in attracting younger audiences. They both involve how we manage our cultural assets internally and externally - hence the term creative cultural economy. I've been told extending the season by even a few weeks creates better year-round economic stability, and jobs allow younger residents the option of staying in the area or coming back. Peer-to-peer communication is a powerful magnet, and cultural exploratory trails designed by young people for young people will have greater resonance. What are our assets that would make the Berkshires more of a year-round destination point? For people within driving distance? What brings people to Washington DC, to the Smithsonian? What brings Europeans to Miami, to Napa Valley? Many people I've met are involved in trying to answer these questions, and intense collaboration, mutual generosity, taking risks for a greater goal, cross marketing are some of the directions that have been discussed. My wife and I have always been struck that this region has always attracted gifted people of all kinds, and is a living example of American can-do spirit, ingenuity, creativity, and idealism. 20. To mark its 75th anniversary season, Tanglewood is releasing downloads of historic concerts. Which concert(s) from the past – before your time – would you love to have experienced live? The first one, I hear it was quite a scene, between the rain, the tent, it would create quite a contrast to our issues today.

21. Who’s your cello idol? Pablo Casals. He said he was a human being first, a musician second, a cellist third. I like that. 22. Who’s “The next Yo-Yo Ma?” It'll be a new model, bigger engine, a hybrid, great mileage, beautiful design, AWD, easy controls, simple dashboard, and built to last.

23. You’ve won Grammy Awards galore, plus the Kennedy Center Honor, the National Medal of Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in August, you’ll be awarded Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, considered the equivalent of a Nobel Prize. Which of the many honors that you’ve received means the most to you? The greatest honor I can receive, and the biggest success I can have is if, at the end of the day, my wife and children give their approval of me as a husband and father. 24. Since Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s tenure in office will end in 2014, have you considered running for governor? Yes, I'm running for governor of my own state of mind, aka state of Ma, but first I must come to consensus with all my internal constituents. Upcoming Tanglewood concerts featuring Yo-Yo Ma Saturday, August 11 at 8:30 p.m. Previn, Elgar, and ShostakovichSaturday, August 18 at 8:30 p.m. John Williams' 80th Birthday Celebration