Yo-Yo Ma on the Magic of Tanglewood and the Berkshires The Grammy Award-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma is perhaps the best-known classical musician of our age. He will perform at Tanglewood on July 14 at the festival's 75th anniversary concert and takes the stage again on Aug. 18, for an 80th birthday tribute to the composer and conductor John Williams. Below are excerpts of a conversation on the festival and on the Berkshires, where it takes place. What was your first experience of Tanglewood? When I was 27, Seiji Ozawa invited me up to do some teaching and coaching at the Tanglewood Music Center. I was young, and a young father. To work with those students, not much younger than myself, starting out in their musical careers, on these beautiful grounds - I fell in love with the place. That first summer is one of the greatest gifts I've ever received. What struck you most about the festival's setting? The Berkshires are extraordinary. They're magical - the classic New England villages, but particularly the mountains. When you're in a coastal area, there's always this issue, a status issue, about how close anything or anyone is to the beach. One of the things I love most about mountains is how democratic they are. Everyone gets a view. There are many beloved summer music festivals in America and abroad, but many would say there's nothing quite like Tanglewood. What's the secret sauce? The magic of the spot - the interplay between music and nature - is not replicable. An orchestra is usually within four walls. Here they've taken down the walls, and blended in the human sound of the music with what composers try to take from nature in the first place. You're inside, you're outside. You're back at the primary source. Devotees of Tanglewood may share a love of music, but they are riven by one Manichaean divide: inside on a seat, or outside on the lawn? We do both! We often sit in the hall, particularly if friends are performing. But lawn picnics have their advantages. A Saturday night picnic on the lawn - if you've never been before, that's probably the essential Tanglewood experience. There's nothing quite like being under stars as the music floats over you. Don't forget a blanket. Regarding those lawn tickets, the Boston Symphony and its donors have done great work in keeping the prices so reasonable. I'd also encourage visitors to experience the free midweek concerts by the Music Center students, and the open rehearsals. It's a great way to become a part of the musical community. It's often said that the Berkshires have a cultural presence comparable to all but the largest American cities. Aside from the setting, how is it different from a city? It's a question of time. You can have serious conversations with anybody here, because people will simply give you the time. It's a kind of humanity, a kind of depth. In the hustle and bustle of intense urban life, I often encounter people who say they don't have time to think. Here, there's the space, and people make the time. It carries over into standards, too. When you talk to a craftsman here, a cabinet maker, a chef, whomever, when you see their work, I often find far higher personal standards than in large cities. The Berkshires attract people who want to practice their art, their passion. That's true of Tanglewood, and it's true of the region. Aside from Tanglewood, what are your favorite artistic projects in the Berkshires? Shakespeare & Company, and the restored Ventfort Hall [in Lenox] are wonderful. But with all the classical music and old homes and old paintings in the county, it's worth remembering how much new work is being created here. Just musically, Club Helsinki, in Great Barrington, has many young groups coming in. And Nancy Fitzpatrick, of the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, is doing great work bringing singer-songwriters to the Lion's Den [the hotel's pub]. Any thoughts on the Berkshires outside of the county's peak summer season? There's more and more going on year-round now. The Colonial Theater [in Pittsfield] and the Mahaiwe [in Great Barrington] are gems. Just open up The Berkshire Eagle. Is there a broader lesson in the success of the Berkshires? The cooperative, collaborative, innovative nature of the Berkshires is something America could learn from - indeed, needs to learn from. Creative economies - that's the future of the country, if we're lucky.