Cellist Yo-Yo Ma celebrates Year of the Sheep at concert with Chinese artists

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and a bevy of Chinese artists celebrated the Year of the Sheep at the New York Philharmonic’s fourth annual Chinese New Year concert.

Among the diplomats, business leaders and VIPs at Lincoln Center Tuesday night were U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, International Monetary Fund Deputy Managing Director Min Zhu and former World Bank president James Wolfensohn.

The China Central Academy of Fine Arts organized the concert as part of week-long new year festivities in New York that included a public outdoor concert.

Ma, a Chinese-American, drew loud applause for his solo with Wu Tong, who played the sheng, a traditional Chinese wind instrument.

The New York Philharmonic was conducted by Long Yu, music director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.