PBS to Broadcast Goat Rodeo Sessions Live Special on May 25

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A Primetime Special Featuring Virtuosos Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, Stuart Duncan, and Edgar Meyer


PBS invites viewers to experience a groundbreaking collaboration when it airs The Goat Rodeo Sessions' first live performance on Friday, May 25, 2012 at 9:00PM (check local listings). The Goat Rodeo Sessions combines the talents of four different solo artists, cello virtuoso Yo-Yo Ma, mandolin master Chris Thile, bluegrass fiddler Stuart Duncan, bassist Edgar Meyer, each a Grammy Award winning star in their own right, to create a unique, genre-breaking sound that's part composed, part improvised and uniquely American.


Released in October 2011, The Goat Rodeo Sessions album debuted #1 on the Classical, Classical Crossover, and Bluegrass Billboard charts. Additionally at #18, it was Yo-Yo Ma's highest position on the Billboard Top 200 chart to date. With the combination of intricate arrangements, intense improvisation, and superior skill by all players, The Goat Rodeo Sessions ensemble is a perfect storm of musical ingenuity. In fact, the music is so difficult to pull off, the group likened it to a Goat Rodeo - an aviation term that describes a situation in which 100 things need to go right to avoid disaster.


"What stays in my mind about The Goat Rodeo Sessions is how many things have to happen in order for us to create some really beautiful music," says cellist Yo-Yo Ma. "We each contributed something unique to it and what came out was truly amazing."


Aspart of the PBS Arts initiative, this one hour primetime concert special was taped over two sold out concerts at the House of Blues in Boston, Massachusetts and features the group performing tracks from their studio album, such as "Quarter Chicken Dark," and "Attaboy," as well as Johann Sebastian Bach's "Gamba Sonata Number 1 Movement 4," and "Fiddle Medley." The evening's performance is highlighted by a special guest appearance by vocalist and Newton native Aoife O'Donovan on "Here and Heaven", "No One But You", and a special encore rendition of "All Through the Night."


"This rare and unique ensemble of musicians produce an eclectic performance that really goes beyond the boundaries of any one particular genre," says WGBH Executive Producer Laurie Donnelly. "We are thrilled that by showcasing their collaboration on PBS, we will allow viewers all across the country towitness this extraordinary musical event."


Funding for The Goat Rodeo Sessions Live was provided by the WGBH Fund for Music and through viewer contributions to PBS member stations. The Goat Rodeo Sessions Live is a co-production of Sony Classical and WGBH Educational Foundation. ©2012 Sony Music Entertainment and WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved.


Visit pbs.org/goatrodeo for more information.

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