Yo Yo Ma gives surprise concert at Acadia National Park

SEAL HARBOR, June17, 2021 - The Quietside Journal theqsjournal.substack.com got a tip earlier today that cellist Yo Yo Ma would make a surprise appearance at Jordan Pond House, and indeed at 12:35 PM an unassuming man in his mid-sixties made his way to a chair holding up a cello. It was difficult to make out his face because of the shadow cast by his baseball cap.
He was accompanied by a pianist and Chris Newell, senior partner to the Wabanaki Nations and a long time member of the Mystic River singers, an internationally acclaimed inter-tribal pow wow drum group.
There was no previous announcement and the crowd seemed to just enjoy the music until it became clear this was something else and the cellist was Yo Yo Ma.
He is in Maine to play a sunrise concert Friday at Schoodic Point on the occasion of a visit by Deb Haaland, secretary of the interior and the first Native American to be confirmed as a Cabinet secretary. She will meet with Wabanaki leaders to talk about the Biden administration's support for public lands.
Many national parks, Acadia included, have been forced to defer maintenance for years. As recently as 2019, Acadia has put off an estimated $65 million worth of projects to improve the popular tourist destination, which has seen a major increase in visitors in recent years.