Some lucky folks getting their COVID-19 vaccinations at the field house of Massachusett's Berkshire Community College were treated to a small concert by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Yo-Yo Ma had received his second dose, and in celebration, decided to break out his instrument of choice. While waiting for the fifteen-minute observation period, he played a masked and socially distanced concert for his fellow inoculated individuals.
"[He] wanted to give something back," said Richard Hall of the Berkshire COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative.
The short concert isn't Yo-Yo Ma's first attempt at calming the public during the pandemic. Approximately one year to the day prior, he had launched a series of performances with the hashtag #SongsOfComfort.
"In these days of anxiety, I wanted to find a way to continue to share some of the music that gives me comfort," he tweeted in March 2020. The first selection in the series was Dvorák's Going Home.
Long before his vaccination, Yo-Yo Ma linked with classical pianist Emanuel Ax for a virtual concert meant for essential workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.
"This is really dedicated to all the people who are going through tough times," he said. "Lost people who are pushing through, leading the strenuous life, and for the longest time not knowing if there's light at the end of the tunnel."