Yo-Yo Ma usually sports a $2 Million 1733 Montagnana from Venice or the equally pricey 1712 Davidoff Stradivari cello. For this gig, he has decided to trade it in for a $7,000 unit.

The superstar cellist has been invited to perform at the inauguration of President-elect Obama on January 20, 2009.

After Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. is sworn in by Justice John Paul Stevens, Yo-Yo Ma along with Itzhak Perlman on violin, Gabriela Montero on piano and Anthony McGill on clarinet will perform the new work composed by John Williams, "Air and Simple Gifts." Then, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will administer the oath of office to Mr. Obama, who will then deliver his inaugural address.

The word at the Mall is that in cold extremes the Lewis & Clark carbon fiber units play much better. Their construction, in addition to being smaller, and lighter are much less susceptible to temperature extremes.

Yo-Yo Ma was also joined by a plethora of military and other classical musicians all playing carbon fiber units earlier this week.

Yo-Yo Ma released Songs of Joy & Peace on October 10, 2008. It is a fabulous collaboration with the likes of James Taylor (singing the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun", Dave Brubeck, Chris Botti, and Alison Krauss to name a few.
You can pick up a Deluxe Version at iTunes.