Yo-Yo Ma and Songs of Comfort

Last spring, I stumbled upon Yo-Yo Ma’s #SongsOfComfort performance series when aimlessly surfing the web, stuck at home like many others during the COVID-19 pandemic. For those of you who do not know, #SongsOfComfort is a project launched at the beginning of the pandemic by internationally renowned cellist, Yo-Yo Ma. Ma posted videos on YouTube and other platforms of himself playing “songs of comfort” to ease anxiety and fear. Soon, these videos became my refuge. I discovered these videos at a time when the world was in disarray. People had lost their jobs. The graph of COVID cases resembled a spire. The words “uncertain,” “difficult,” and “challenging” had all surged in popularity. It was as if our delicate blue marble had been plunged into an ice bath; everything was shocked into disorder and chaos. Many of us were questioning whether this changed world would be the “new normal.”

But the series of videos that Ma created is nothing short of incredible. Whenever I listen to one of his videos, I forget about the current events of the world. The rich notes of the cello cut through all the worries that I am feeling and add warmth to the air. The music creates a sense of unity, as it’s a universal language and something that all humans can understand. I can’t help but think back to the videos that circulated the internet last year of the impromptu performances that musicians gave during lockdown on the balconies of their apartments as onlookers watched. It doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, or what language you speak. Music is something that anyone can feel and appreciate and that in itself makes music something that is unique and unitive. With his music, Yo-Yo Ma manages to bring people together – even when we are all far apart.