I’ve spent decades trying to get this piece right. At some point, I found a way in: in the same way that a river begins far before we meet it, I imagine this music starting long before I play the first note; I just have to join it. Like the river, the music is always flowing, and like the river, it’s always changing. All I have to do is picture a river, feel its energy, get into its flow, and follow it. ___ Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 (Live from the Smoky Mountains) Video by Austin Man

WATCH: Yo-Yo Ma shares how musicians can "rebuild our humanity" during the pandemic. #BeyondTheCanvasPBS See more by joining our CANVAS public media arts group. | PBS NewsHour