Yo-Yo Ma did a surprise show during her post-vaccination observation period

Internationally acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma had 15 minutes to kill last Saturday after receiving his COVID-19 vaccination at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, so he offered everyone an impromptu concert.

Ma is a part-time Berkshires resident and was receiving her second injection of COVID-19 at the vaccination site.

Richard Hall, of the Berkshire COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative, told the local newspaper that the Berkshire Eagle said that Ma brought his cello because he simply wanted to “reciprocate”. Therefore, he treated health professionals and newly vaccinated people and soon to a presentation of selections by Bach and Schubert.

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Yo-Yo Ma plays for other recipients of the vaccine

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The medical team says a silence fell over the clinic when Ma started playing. “It was so strange how the whole building became peaceful, with just a little bit of background music,” said Leslie Drager, chief clinical manager of the vaccination site, according to The Washington Post.

The music probably provided some much needed comfort to those who were nervous about getting the vaccine.

Ma was waiting at the vaccination site after receiving the vaccine because most people are asked to sit for a 15-minute observation period if they have an allergic reaction. Those who are more prone to allergic reactions are usually asked to wait 30 minutes.

People who have mild reactions usually receive a dose of Benadryl and are then sent away.

Yo-Yo Ma at the White House in 1987.via Wikimedia Commons

It must have been an incredible experience for people to be able to hear the respected cellist play in such a small, improvised environment. Ma recorded more than 90 albums and received 18 Grammy awards. He has been a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 2006 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011

He is famous for being an eclectic musician, having played on recordings of classical music, bluegrass, traditional Chinese melodies, tangos by the Argentine composer Ástor Piazzolla and works by the minimalist composer Phillip Glass.

He is also known for his affable and realistic personality.

The mini-concert takes place an exact year after he shared his first recordings of himself at the start of the #SongsOfComfort outbreak. He shared the recordings to help contain the stress and anxiety caused by the start of the pandemic.

“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. The first of my #SongsOfComfort: Dvorák – ‘Going Home’ “

In a time when it is difficult to create good memories, Ma did a wonderful job of lending her talents to spread some joy in a stressful time. We hope that soon he will be able to return to bigger places and once again spread this joy to thousands of people per night.