PITTSFIELD – After Yo-Yo Ma received his second injection of a 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-famous cellist and part-time resident of Berkshires completed his vaccination course at the field clinic and “wanted to give back,” Richard Hall of the Berkshire COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative told The Eagle.
Yo-Yo Ma sat along the wall of the observation area, masked and socially distanced from the others. He spent 15 minutes in observation playing the cello for an audience applauding, in what Hall called a “very special” concert that culminated in the vaccination event of the day.
“What a way to end the clinic,” wrote Hall by email.
Today in #MyBCC At the vaccination clinic, the people who waited 15 minutes in observation were awarded the musical talent of the only Yo-Yo Ma. 😍 @ Berkshire Community College https://t.co/GOXoEAwfKa
– BerkCommunityCollege (@BerkshireCC) March 13, 2021
@YoYo_Ma it’s always an elegant act #intheberkshires. Bringing hope and optimism through your beautiful music. #mapoli #GetVaccinated #stopCovid https://t.co/De0sw5yGni
– Smitty Pignatelli (@repsmitty) March 13, 2021
Berkshire Community College shared news of Yo-Yo Ma’s informal performance on social media, and state deputy William “Smitty” Pignatelli praised the musician for “bringing hope and optimism through his beautiful music”. The college shared excerpts from the show on Facebook.
In a poetic circumstance, Yo-Yo Ma’s second dose of coronavirus and the subsequent concert occur exactly a year after he posted his first recording of himself playing his instrument using the hashtag #SongsOfComfort.
Amid the fear and uncertainty that marked the early days of the pandemic, the world-renowned musician began sharing the recordings 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 – “Going Home”
In these days of anxiety, I wanted to find a way to continue sharing some of the music that gives me comfort. The first of my #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 has welcomed the unsuspecting with music during the pandemic. In September, he and Emanuel Ax held a series of surprise pop-up concerts for essential workers, not long after they had treated essential workers and rescuers in a virtual live broadcast.
Francesca Paris contributed to this report