Sunday, August 9, 2026
7:00 PM
In the final part of a three-concert series curated by Yo-Yo Ma Grammy-winning vocalist Arooj Aftab and Ma are the soloists in John Tavener’s Mahámátar, with the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Chorus. Then, cellist and Silkroad Ensemble member Karen Ouzounian is the soloist in Iranian composer Kayhan Kalhor’s Venus in the Mirror, with the composer as co-soloist, and BSO cellist Christine Lee is the soloist in Osvaldo Golijov’s BSO-commissioned Azul.
“We offer a prayer for the future, one that encompasses all the world’s people, that acknowledges sacrifice and seeks inspiration, that contains the arc of the human and natural world, from the primordial planet, through the emergence of humanity, all the way into space and a planetary, humanist, universal future.” — Yo-Yo Ma
Anna Handler, conductor
Samy Rachid, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello (Tavener)
Karen Ouzounian, cello (Kalhor)
Christine Lee, cello (Golijov)
Kayhan Kalhor, kamanche
Arooj Afjab, vocalist
Boston University Tanglewood Institute Chorus
John TAVENER Mahámátar, for cello, voice, chorus, and orchestra
Kayhan KALHOR Venus in the Mirror, for kamanche, cello, and orchestra
Osvaldo GOLIJOV Azul, for cello and orchestra
Also on this broadcast, from the Tanglewood Music Center:
Cellists of the BSO and the Tanglewood Music Center
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Ennio MORRICONE arr. Blaise DEJARDIN "Gabriel's Oboe," from "The Mission"
Astor PIAZZOLLA arr. Blaise DEJARDIN La muerte del angel
Claude DEBUSSY arr. Blaise DEJARDIN Clair de lune
Recorded on August 6th, 2026
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
Lauren Smith, conductor
Maurice RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin: I. Prelude
Recorded on August 3rd, 2026
Hear a conversation with Yo-Yo Ma about "We The People":
For more information on Tanglewood concerts, visit the BSO box office.
In an interview with CRB's Brian McCreath, Christine Lee describes the moment she was asked to be the soloist in Golijov's Azul, how the piece challenges her, and what she loves about the BSO cello section.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT:
Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at the Koussevitzky Music Shed with Christine Lee from the cello section of the Boston Symphony, but more importantly this weekend, the soloist in Azul by Osvaldo Golijov. Christine, thanks a lot for your time today. I appreciate it.
Christine Lee Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to talk about this piece with you.
Brian McCreath Well, it's an exciting piece and it has such a story behind it, but I want to ask you first about the sort of moment that you found out this was even a possibility, when you were asked to do this. Was this out of the blue, no pun intended with Azul, but was it completely unexpected or were you sort of thinking about and in conversations to do a solo appearance with the BSO before this?
Christine Lee It was a complete surprise. It was during our winter vacation. So I was back in Korea with my family. So, understand the time difference, right? 13 hours ahead. And so I, you know, when I check my emails or texts, it's all weird hours. But I got a text from Tyler, our general manager, that I should check my email. I was like, okay, all of a sudden. And I received an email from Tony asking if I would be willing. And I mean, what kind of question is that? Are you willing to play a solo piece with the Boston Symphony Orchestra? I didn't even think about it at first. And I thought, am I dreaming? It's something that I had never imagined. So I mean, it was just such a— I mean, I was so honored and super excited. And I wasn't familiar with the piece, to be perfectly honest. So I went online immediately, looked at it, and I was like, oh my goodness, this sounds really hard. I don't know if I should accept it. I mean, I would like to, but am I going to be able to do it? And a million questions. But I said, I'll deal with it. I'll make it happen no matter what. And I just responded right away to Tony and to Tyler that like, yes, I'll do it. That's how it happened.
Brian McCreath That's a great story because I think everybody has that experience when there's a great opportunity that comes before you and then suddenly you have... You're excited, then you're intimidated, and then you're like, I have to do it anyway. And you just go for it.
Christine Lee Yeah, you embrace the challenge.
Brian McCreath That's right. But you say you weren't familiar with Azul. What's your experience before this with Osvaldo Golijov's music at all? Were you familiar with it at all?
Christine Lee I've loved his music since I was a teenager. And my first exposure to his music was his opera Ainadamar. I remember playing it as a teenager at school because we all had to play in opera orchestra.
Brian McCreath And that was at Curtis, am I right?
Christine Lee Yes. And I fell in love with it. Playing an opera is always challenging because it's very physical, and it's usually longer than a symphony, so there is that challenge. But I remember vividly, still, just looking forward to every rehearsal and the concert. It's such a powerful, moving opera. So that's how I also got more interested in the history of Spain and all that.
Brian McCreath And that's a piece that was premiered here at Tanglewood, I think.
Christine Lee Was it?
Brian McCreath Yeah. And it is an incredibly powerful, emotional opera, but also very much from where Golijov lives, artistically, right? It combines all these sounds that are unique to him, I think. What is it about Azul that really makes this a piece by Golijov when you think about it? What's the signature of this that makes it by Golijov?
Christine Lee I think there are a few things. I can't choose the top thing, but I think the whole journey of the piece makes it by him. And what I mean by that is it's really a storytelling, and I know a lot of pieces of music are like that, but he sort of brings you into this other space that's so real. It's not necessarily intellectual, out there, necessarily. It's like bigger scale, and it's not just talking about beauty because we often think about music, something, a beautiful melody. But I think his music captures everything, like maybe even the sound of a car driving could be translated into his music. So I think that's what's really special, and I think there's always this magical element, mysticism, that's part of his musical language. So I mean, as a classically trained musician, we're always thinking about like making good sound, you know, playing in time, and all these like good things that makes you a good musician. But at the same time, his music always challenges us to get out of that comfort zone to try to capture a different kind, different layer of expression. You need that as a foundation, but you need to almost break away from all your good habits.
Brian McCreath Oh, wow, really? Really, you have to go against the grain of some things you've been taught?
Christine Lee Yes, a little bit, because we're taught to be accurate, right? Of course, we want to express, and it's all about capturing that meaning behind the music, but we care a lot about perfection and accuracy, if that exists. It doesn't exist, but I think his music is a lot about just connecting with your soul and your subconscious also. So I mean, how do you do that, right? So it's about exchange of energy with people around you and being in touch with your surrounding, nature, and things that you cannot see.
Brian McCreath Amazing. Wow. And I think it does come through in Azul. I hear everything that you're talking about in this piece. You talked about looking this piece up and having that moment of like, oh my God, this is really hard. But now that you're here, you're doing it, tell me what the challenges are. Were the challenges as big as you initially imagined? Were they different? What has surprised you in what this piece has asked you to do?
Christine Lee I think it ended up being more challenging than I had anticipated, and it went through waves. Because I think that's how progress is, right? It's never linear. So you think you make progress and you get there and then you're like, "Oh, maybe not. I'm not sure." And then you try again. You sometimes feel like you're going in circles, but I always try to remind myself, you're not at the exact same place because it's a spiral. So you're actually expanding your circle. That's how I try to make myself feel better. But I was so lucky to work with Osvaldo. I played for him, and I also got a chance to work with Yo-Yo closely. They're both very, very generous, and he originally premiered the piece, so he was part of the birth of this piece. And he's— Osvaldo is well known for working with the artist on his pieces. So it just challenged me to go beyond my comfort zone. And it's never— especially in public, we don't like to feel challenged or feel uncomfortable, right? We want to show our strong sides or our things that look good, that makes us look good.
But I think this piece really made me show all sides and embrace that part because that's actually what connects human beings. And so much of this music is about things that are around us, but we don't always notice, like a flying bird. And when they fly, they're not working hard to achieve it. They glide and ride the wind, right? So how to get that feeling? And perhaps depending on which artist is playing, how you get there might be very different, but the feeling that you want to achieve and share— I often think about, when I'm playing music, just creating that space for people to listen and have that personal imagination and shape to open up. And so much of this piece is also about universe, galaxy, wavelength. And I think that's a little different from, I don't know, like playing Beethoven or Schumann, right?
Brian McCreath Well, yeah. I mean, that was kind of one of my curiosities. You know, you've no doubt played concertos by Elgar, Dvořák, Saint-Saëns. But this is not that. And so everything you're saying, yeah, takes us out of that realm of a standard concerto. And I think actually just my own sort of perception is that what you're describing and coming out of your comfort zone is why people really relate to Golijov's music, because somehow they can— I think an audience can sense that, and we're all kind of taken out of our comfort zone. So I don't know, it— as you're talking, it kind of strikes me that way.
Christine Lee But there's also an element of pure joy that I think we can all relate to. And I mean, I think the middle movement makes you just want to get up and dance, and it's so groovy. And I mean, I love different kinds of music, but his music always has that, I think, rhythmic drive that not all pieces do. And it's so— just, you can feel it in your body.
Brian McCreath Yeah. Amazing. So you've been in the orchestra for a few years now, but I'm curious about what you perceive as the sound of the Boston Symphony and what it was that you stepped into when you joined this orchestra. I confess, I don't know what other ensembles you may have been a member of in the past, but what is it about this cello section and this string section that's unique? And did you have to make any particular adjustments to your playing when you joined the BSO cello section?
Christine Lee I love this question, actually, because I mean, I think as musicians, we're always playing with sound, right? So that's our main element. So luckily, I felt like I was a really good fit with the cello section here and the string section here because we care a lot about beauty of sound. And I think that really captures the BSO's DNA of string playing. I think there's that tradition of long lines, legato, beautiful sound, which is really hard to do, actually. I mean, it really is hard to do, and it's a lifelong quest to have singing, beautiful, long soaring lines. And there's nothing like it. When you're part of that sound, it's lush, it's warm, it's embracing. You feel it's also something that you feel in your body as this shining light. I like to describe sound as shining light because it's powerful that way. So I really felt like it was a perfect match. And fortunately, it's also my first orchestral group that I'm a part of. I was part of a string quartet, and I did a lot of different ensembles, but never a professional orchestra. So I feel extremely lucky that I landed here.
Brian McCreath Wow, that's amazing. I love the way you describe all that though. Then that rings true to the way that we hear the orchestra, that there's this real centering of beauty of sound that comes from the string section especially, but all through the orchestra, the wind section, everybody in this orchestra. Yeah, concerned with the beauty of the sound. And so amazing that you felt perfectly equipped to just come right into this ensemble?
Christine Lee I mean, I don't know if I was perfectly equipped. I've always worked in—
Brian McCreath That's a strong expression. Maybe not perfectly equipped, but certainly, yeah, well equipped.
Christine Lee I felt like what I am looking for and what's important to me in the music-making process, there was alignment. And I think when you're surrounded by people who feel similarly and have similar vision of what the artistic expression is like, I think that energy gets compounded and that becomes really powerful. So we almost inspire each other. And I think that's what's really beautiful about playing in a section and playing with others.
Brian McCreath That's wonderful. Christine Lee, it's so wonderful to hear you at the front of the orchestra. We always love hearing you in the cello section, but this is a really special opportunity and I really appreciate all your, your words, your thoughts, your comments. So, so thanks for your time today.
Christine Lee Thank you so much for having me. Enjoy the concert!