Yo-Yo Ma, American cellist, preforms on the Jordan Pond House lawn for visitors. (Photo by Ashley L. Conti/Friends of Acadia)

This is an extraordinary week at Acadia National Park with visits from world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, simultaneously! We’ll have more to say after the historic visits, but for now we want to share some of the early press clips here.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma gave two impromptu performances at Acadia Thursday, paying tribute to the Wabanaki tribes in Maine. In this clip at Jordan Pond, he is joined by Chris Newell, executive director of the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, and the video credit goes to Lincoln Millstein of the Quietside Journal. We also shared a clip from the Otter Point pop-up concert on our Facebook page here.

How fortunate for those Acadia visitors who were surprised by two impromptu Yo-Yo Ma performances Thursday and Friday in the park! Thank you to Yo-Yo Ma and those collaborating with him, and kudos to the National Park Service for allowing this to happen at Acadia, given everything else on their plate with the recent storm damage and very high visitation thus far this spring.

Here are some links to recent press coverage on both visits. 

• Yo-Yo Ma Performance at Acadia National Park – NECN
• Cellist Yo-Yo Ma surprises Acadia visitors with impromptu concerts (bangordailynews.com)
• Interior Secretary Haaland To Visit Acadia With State, Wabanaki Leaders | Maine Public
• U.S. interior secretary to visit Acadia National Park on Friday – Portland Press Herald
• Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will visit Acadia to highlight planned park improvements (bangordailynews.com)

We’ll have more to share on Secretary Haaland’s visit soon. Enjoy!

Photos by Ashley L. Conti, Friends of Acadia