Yo-Yo Ma Performs Private Concert For Siblings Rescued From Squalid Home
Seven siblings who were rescued from a squalid Southern California home earlier this year received a special treat last week: a private performance by Yo-Yo Ma.
The world-renowned cellist reportedly performed for seven of the 13 siblings at a hospital in Corona, California, on Friday. The special visit came roughly two months after authorities said the siblings were found shackled and malnourished in the home of their parents, David and Louise Turpin, capping years of abuse.
“They were just amazed, awestruck by the level of talent,” Mark Uffer, CEO of Corona Regional Medical Center, where the seven adult siblings are staying, told CNN. “They really enjoyed it.”
The hospital showcased his visit in a photo posted to Twitter on Monday.
Corona Regional Medical Center graciously thanks @YoYo_Ma for visiting and sharing his love of music with the Turpin Siblings during the Kennedy Center’s “Arts Across America” visit on Friday. Very inspiring! pic.twitter.com/aIzoys0YAu
— Corona Regional MC (@CRMCCares) March 6, 2018
Uffer said the siblings are undergoing music therapy, a program that has taught them how to play the guitar and sing, as part of their recovery.
“All of their health issues have improved since they came here,” he said. “They are in a better place now.”
An attorney for the siblings did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In addition to visiting with the Turpin siblings, Ma visited a local Corona middle school and performed with its orchestra program on Friday morning.
Though Ma made no mention of his visit with the Turpin siblings on social media, he posted photos of his visit with the middle school students on Facebook, writing: “Very grateful to have been able to share music and spend time with the people of Corona.”
Talk about a class act.
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