World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma will hold a so-called “Concert for Peace” in Chicago next month.
The famed musician will join members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Chicago Children’s Choir for a performance at Saint Sabina Church on the city’s South Side.
The music aims to celebrate and inspire “a more peaceful Chicago,” according to organizers.
It will feature works by Dvorak, Joplin, Ellington and others.
Tickets are available for $20, with all proceeds and donations benefiting St. Sabina’s anti-violence and “Strong Futures” employment programs.
Father Michael Pfleger told the Chicago Sun-Times the concert was Ma’s idea, saying the musician stopped by unannounced months ago and said he was “very serious about doing something.”
“He said, ‘Look, I love what you stand for and I could do a concert here right in the sanctuary of the church. It could be an anti-violence concert for peace,’” Pfleger told the Sun-Times’ Michael Sneed. “He was so kind and so humble. He just wanted to support our work. But what impressed me about him was not just his superior talent, but his gentle and warm spirit. It was the beauty of them both together. Unmatchable.”
