Have you ever tried to play a cello outdoors in freezing weather? Playing a string instrument is challenging under any circumstance, but a quartet of America’s concert artists rose to the challenge. The performers braved the elements, actually playing their instruments, though they were playing along with their own prerecorded version of the piece.

Performing Air and Simple Gifts, a new composition by John Williams, were cellist Yo-Yo Ma, clarinetist Anthony McGill, pianist Gabriela Montero and the inimitable Itzhak Perlman on violin. This beautiful new composition truly set the tone for the event.

What’s it like to be a featured performer at one of the most historically significant moments in our nation’s history? Yo-Yo’s face pretty much said it all. When the music finally broke into that famous Shaker melody and the theme was passed to the cello, he was positively beaming. Catch the video on YouTube