Last night the PBS Newshour ran an interview with cellist Yo Yo Ma, who spoke of the consoling effect of music at times like these that we are all facing together. What really struck me in the interview was the self-description he gave of his own calling:
“When I was 19, I had a teacher who said, Yo-Yo, you haven’t found your voice.
“And I said, OK. And so I kept looking for my voice. And I think my voice is in finding the needs of others and then representing them. And that’s — and so, everywhere I go, it’s always about finding what people are thinking, feeling, how they think about themselves in the world.
“And if I can find something that they need, and if I can actually offer a little bit of something that is comforting, then that’s how I would define my job.”
It’s hard to imagine a better outlook now, or at any time. Here is the interview, in case you missed it: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/yo-yo-ma-on-encouraging-songs-of-comfort-amid-global-crisis
The gal I shot the other day brought her assistant YoYo. Chinese.
Sent from my iPhone
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