2 days ago
The legendary Yo-Yo Ma is coming to BYU
The legendary Yo-Yo Ma is coming back to Utah.
The 19-time Grammy-winning cellist is a headliner for Brigham Young University's recently announced 2025-26 Bravo! arts series.
Ma's appearance for a special gala at BYU will celebrate both the university's 150th anniversary and the centennial of the school's College of Fine Arts and Communication, according to the season lineup.
Ma's BYU appearance, scheduled for Feb. 24, comes a little over a year after he performed with the Utah Symphony — an appearance that was billed as his first performance in Salt Lake City since the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics, per Deseret News.
The cellist also performed at Salt Lake's Red Butte Garden in 2021 as part of his bluegrass project, 'The Goat Rodeo Sessions,' which also features Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers mandolin player Chris Thile.
BYU's art series has attracted high-profile figures in classical music over the years. In 2020, master violinist Itzhak Perlman made his debut at the school with a performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto, as the Deseret News reported.
Perlman returned to the university for two performances in 2023.
Below is the full lineup for BYU's 2025-26 Bravo! art series:
Sept. 19-20, Song of the North — 'A large-scale, cinematic performance combining the manual art of shadow puppetry with projected animation to tell the courageous tale of Princess Manijeh, a heroine from ancient Persia,' per the season announcement.
Oct. 17, Aba Diop & the Yermande Family — Senegalese percussionist Aba Diopa brings his ensemble that combines West African and Western instruments in its performances.
Oct. 24, Spanish Night with Pablo Sáinz-Villegas and Friends — Spanish guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas returns to the Bravo! arts series after a sold-out solo recital. This time, backed by a trio of musicians, he'll highlight pieces from his homeland in Spain.
Nov. 1, Bodytraffic — The Los Angeles-based contemporary dance company showcases a wide range of styles — ballet, contemporary, modern, Afro-Cuban and hip-hop, per BYU's Bravo! series announcement.
Jan. 23, Joshua Henry — Grammy winner and Broadway actor Joshua Henry performs his show, 'Get Up Stand Up,' which 'is a soulful bop through the songs that have moved and grooved us through the decades,' according to the Bravo! series.
Feb. 6-7, 'How to Train Your Dragon' — The BYU Philharmonic will perform the score to 'How to Train Your Dragon' as the film plays on the big screen.
Feb. 24, Yo-Yo Ma — Ma will appear in a gala celebrating BYU's 150th anniversary and the centennial of the school's College of Fine Arts and Communication.
March 17, Ímar — The Glasgow-based Celtic folk band returns to BYU for a St. Patrick's Day concert that will highlight Irish, Scottish and Manx trad music.
March 26, Utah Symphony with Pablo Ferrández — Cellist Pablo Ferrández will perform Korngold's Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky's 'Variations on a Rococo Theme' with the Utah Symphony.
April 14, Bridge & Wolak — Michael Bridge (accordion and piano) and Kornel Wolak (clarient and piano), a musical duo from Canada, will perform "reimagined repertoire of classical, world and jazz fusion."
Season tickets go on sale July 9, and individual tickets will be available starting Sept. 10.
