Yo-Yo Ma plays cello at Berkshires COVID Vaccine Clinic

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma took his instrument to a COVID-19 vaccine clinic and turned his time in the observation area into an improvised show.

The classical music star was receiving his second dose of the vaccine on Saturday at Berkshire Community College in Massachusetts and treated healthcare professionals and other recipients of the vaccine with a cello performance. According to Berkshire Eagle, Ma lives in the area part-time and told local vaccine administrators that he wanted to give back to the community.

The community college shared clips of Ma’s short performance, showing the masked cellist in the school gym. He played Bach’s prelude Cello Suite No. 1, receiving applause and cheers from the group of socially distant people who have also just been shot.

It is not the first time that Ma has shared his talents with the locals during the pandemic. In September, he and pianist Emanuel Ax traveled in the back of a truck to give outdoor performances to essential workers.

After Saturday’s clinic, Massachusetts deputy Smitty Pignatelli praised Mom for always doing her best to the Berkshires. “Bringing hope and optimism through his beautiful music,” he tweeted.

Although the pandemic disrupted concerts in closed cities around the world, Ma remained active. He performed in tributes broadcast live to the victims of the coronavirus and shared resources on social networks for artists who went through difficulties.

Saturday also marked a year since he started his #SongsofComfort series, which started with a simple recording shared on Twitter and went on to inspire other musicians to share their work and collaborate even when they were stuck at home. In December, Ma released an album entitled Songs of comfort and hope.