President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday met with virtuoso cellist Yo-Yo Ma (馬友友), promising to place more importance on the nation’s cultural education as the two discussed music, world civilization and the cultural industry in Taipei.
The meeting, organized by National Cultural Association, was held at the Lin Family Gardens in Banciao (板橋) yesterday afternoon before the cellist gave a cello recital at the National Concert Hall in Taipei later last night.
The Taiwanese opera performing group Min Hua Yuan (明華園) opened the meeting with an opera show in Taiwanese, followed by a cello performance by Yo-Yo Ma himself.
The two Mas first met 10 years ago during Ma Ying-jeou’s term as Taipei Mayor.
Ma Ying-jeou yesterday said Yo-Yo Ma’s music gives people strength that transcended race and politics, and said he expected culture and arts to help end conflicts in many areas including cross-strait relations.
“The power of culture and arts is stronger than guns and bombs, and can bring reconciliation to a lot of conflicts, including conflicts across the Taiwan Strait,” the president said.
Yo-Yo Ma encouraged the president to dedicate more effort to improving the quality of education in the nation.
Yo-Yo Ma performed at US President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20, sparking controversy after it was confirmed the performance was pre-recorded.
When approached by reporters at the Taoyuan International Airport, the cellist said that the performance had been pre-recorded because of concerns that the cold temperature could have a negative impact on the instruments and the quality of the performance.
The historical Lin family mansion was closed to the public yesterday for the meeting between the two Mas. Visitors complained about the inconvenience and the failure to inform the public in advance. Attendants at the mansion apologized to the public, and gave out free gifts.
Yang Tu (楊渡), secretary-general of the association, said the association organized the meeting between the two to highlight the values of culture and arts and the importance of humanism in the midst of the global financial crisis.
Yesterday’s meeting between the two Mas was held at a pavilion that had been mostly used by the Lin family to receive artists. Yang said the event was open only to guests from the cultural industry and members of the association. The more than one-hour meeting was recorded and will be shown on local news channels today.
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