Office for the Arts at Harvard Presents Arts for Life’s Sake: A conversation with Yo-Yo Ma ’76 and Stephen Colbert

CAMBRIDGE, MA—The Office for the Arts (OFA) at Harvard celebrates the 50th anniversary of Learning from Performers (LFP), the flagship visiting artist series that has enriched and inspired students and the community since 1975. The evening opens with a performance by Harvard Crimson Cellos and continues with Art for Life’s Sake, a conversation with cellist Yo-Yo Ma ’76 and comedian Stephen Colbert on November 5, 2026, at 7-8:30 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge.

The event will also feature comments from Fiona Coffey, Director of the OFA, and Jerold Kayden, founder of LFP and Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning and Design at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, as well as a performance by the Harvard College student group Crimson Cellos.

During the event, Ma and Colbert will share insights about the work of artists in connecting to humanity and community to an audience of students and community members.

“The heart of the Learning from Performers program has always been artists who inspire students and all of us to engage in meaningful, connected, and imaginative lives,” says Fiona Coffery, Director of the Office for the Arts. “As we continue to celebrate 50 years of this iconic program, we are delighted to welcome Yo-Yo Ma in conversation with his friend Stephen Colbert, both of whom understand the unique role arts and culture play in expanding how we understand the world. Who better than a cellist and a comedian to show the ways in which artistic expression can build bridges and knowledge?”

Free tickets for the November event are available to undergraduate Harvard ID holders Tuesday, October 27, and to the Harvard community Friday, October 30, at the Smith Campus Center box office or online (with handling fee). Limited tickets will also be available to the general public (online only with handling fee) Monday, November 2, at the Harvard Box Office. Limit two tickets per person. Tickets are valid until 6:45 p.m. on the day of the event. More information at Harvard Box Office or by phone at (617) 496-2222. Handling fees apply for online and phone sales.

Learning from Performers is supported by The Bernard H. and Mildred Kayden Artist in Residence Fund.

About Yo-Yo Ma ’76 and Stephen Colbert

Yo-Yo Ma’s multi-faceted career is testament to his belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. Whether performing new or familiar works for cello, bringing us together to explore culture’s role in society, or engaging unexpected musical forms, Yo-Yo seeks to foster connections that reinforce our humanity.

Yo-Yo and his creative team at Sound Postings collaborate with partners around the globe to develop and produce initiatives that advocate for a world guided by humanity, curiosity, and connection. Their recent projects include a six-continent tour of Bach’s cello suites exploring how culture strengthens communities today, and Our Common Nature, a journey celebrating the ways that culture can reconnect us to the natural world. Both endeavors reflect Yo-Yo’s lifelong commitment to stretching the boundaries of genre and tradition to ask how music can help us imagine and build a better future.

Yo-Yo was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris. He began to learn cello with his father at age four and three years later moved with his family to New York City, where he continued his studies at The Juilliard School before pursuing a liberal arts education at Harvard.

He has received numerous awards, including the Avery Fisher Prize (1978), the National Medal of the Arts (2001), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2010), Kennedy Center Honors (2011), the Polar Music Prize (2012), and the Birgit Nilsson Prize (2022). Among other roles, Yo-Yo is a United Nations Messenger of Peace, a member of the board of Nia Tero, an organization supporting the role and influence of Indigenous Peoples, and the founder of the global music collective Silkroad. He has performed for ten American presidents.

His discography of more than 120 albums (including 20 Grammy winners) ranges from iconic interpretations of the Western classical canon to recordings that defy categorization, such as “Hush” with Bobby McFerrin and the “Goat Rodeo Sessions” with Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile. Yo-Yo’s recent releases include “Six Evolutions,” his third recording of Bach’s cello suites; “Merci” with pianist Kathryn Stott; and “Beethoven for Three: Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’ and Leonore Overture No. 3,” the fifth in a series of Beethoven recordings with pianist Emanuel Ax and violinist Leonidas Kavakos.

Yo-Yo and his wife have two children. He plays the 1712 Davidoff Stradivarius, a 1733 Montagnana from Venice, and modern instruments made by Peter and Wendy Moes.

Stephen Colbert is a comedian, actor, writer, and producer who has worked in television for over 30 years. He recently completed his eleventh and final season as the Host of the Emmy and Peabody Award winning #1 show in late night, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, in addition to serving as Executive Producer and Writer. Previously, he hosted, wrote, and produced The Colbert Report on Comedy Central for nine years, following his seven years as a writer and correspondent on The Daily Show.

Colbert’s production company, Spartina Industries, produced two seasons of the late-night program After Midnight on CBS and has several projects in development including a series adaptation of Roger Zelazny’s sci-fi novels, The Chronicles of Amber, with Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment.

Colbert is currently co-writing the next installment in The Lord of the Rings film franchise with Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee.

He previously served as Executive Producer on several projects including the acclaimed filmed version of Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself on Hulu, and has authored six books, the most recent of which, Does This Taste Funny? (co-authored by his wife Evie McGee Colbert), debuted at #3 on the New York Times Bestseller List.

A big fan of fishing, tomato sandwiches, and his dog Benny, Colbert resides on the east coast with Evie.

About Learning from Performers

Under the OFA directorship of Myra Mayman, Learning from Performers (LFP) was the brainchild of Jerold Kayden ’75, now the Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and Founding Director of its Masters in Real Estate Program. Kayden curated the program during its inaugural year, creating the template for what would become a thriving enterprise that continues to this day. Following Mayman’s retirement, LFP was fostered by former OFA Director of Programming Tom Lee and is now produced by Associate Director for Creative Productions Alicia Anstead.

The 50th anniversary series is dedicated to alumni who appear in conversation with their creative collaborators and has included Robert Carlock ’95 with Tina Fey, and Diane Paulus ’88 with Tatiana Maslany and Paul Giamatti.

Featured artists have included: theatrical director Harold Prince, violinist Itzhak Perlman, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, actor Robert Redford, vocalist Sarah Vaughn, artist Robert Motherwell, choreographer Merce Cunningham, composer Aaron Copland, photographer Alice Neel, playwright Arthur Miller, composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, choreographer Meredith Monk, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, composer Quincy Jones, dancer Suzanne Farrell, and operatic soprano Beverly Sills.

More recent artists have included: Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, actor Josh Groban, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, conductor Marin Alsop, vocalist Ana Gasteyer, poet John Ashbury, TV/stage actor Kristen Chenoweth, architect Frank Gehry, composer/banjo player Alison Brown, operatic tenor Placido Domingo, actor Matt Damon, music industry leader Randall “Sickamore” Medford, singer Ali Sethi, rapper Terrace Martin, novelist Min Jin Lee, gospel singer Richard Smallwood, YA novelist Angeline Boulley, actor BD Wong, operatic bass Morris Robinson, filmmaker Mira Nair and playwright Michael R. Jackson.

About the Office for the Arts (OFA)

The Office for the Arts at Harvard cultivates a vibrant ecosystem for artmaking across campus, empowering students to live creative and meaningful lives, regardless of experience level or chosen career path. Through its wide-ranging programs and services, the OFA mentors and teaches, supports student-led art, connects students with renowned artists, commissions new works, and forges partnerships across local, national, and global communities. By nurturing students as artists and cultural leaders, the OFA affirms the arts as essential to a Harvard education and champions creativity as a force that enriches society and strengthens the communities we share.