As a child, you respond physically, tactically. You're delighted by sound, you're delighted by recognizing something. It's like hide and seek. Is it there? Is it not there? Is it this note? Is it not this note? It's one fantastic game.
Yo-Yo MaRead
My job as a performer is to make sure that whatever happens in a performance lives in somebody else, that it's memorable... If you forget tomorrow what you heard yesterday, there's really not much point in you having been there - or me, for that matter.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A performer's goal is to create lasting memories for the audience through their performance.
In this quote, Yo-Yo Ma emphasizes the importance of leaving a significant impression on the audience during a performance. He suggests that the true value of a performance lies in its ability to resonate and linger in the minds of those who experience it, highlighting the interconnectedness of the performer's intent and the audience's memory.
Themes
PerformanceMemoryArtImpactAudience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used by a speaker at a workshop discussing the importance of impactful presentations.
More from Yo-Yo Ma
All quotes →There's a part of me that's always charging ahead. I'm the curious kid, always going to the edge.
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I think that peace is, in many ways, a precondition of joy.
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I think anybody who goes away finds you appreciate home more when you return.
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When we enlarge our view of the world, we deepen our understanding of our own lives.
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I learn something not because I have to, but because I really want to. That's the same view I have for performing. I'm performing because I really want to, not because I have to bring bread back home.
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