As one of the most famous cellists of all time, Yo-Yo Ma has spent a lot of time playing music inside. But a few years ago, he decided to take the cello out of the fancy concert halls and into nature, bringing our very own Producerbud Ana along for the ride!

That brings us to humpback whales. Like Yo-Yo, humpbacks are musical. They communicate through melodies, clicks, grunts, whispers, and bellows. Human beings still don’t fully know what the whales are saying to each other, but for Yo-Yo it sounds just like cello music. So, he had a wild idea: What if he tried to communicate with whales using his cello?

On a very windy December day, Producerbud Ana and Yo-Yo travel to Hawai'i and meet up with hula master, Snowbird Bento, who explains how she uses music to connect with the natural world. Then, they all board a legendary canoe called Hōkūleʻa with local fishermen, seafaring captains, and marine biologists, and Yo-Yo plays his cello, hoping the whales will hear the vibrations and maybe... respond? To find out what happens next, sit back, relax, and join Ana and Yo-Yo on an aquatic adventure.

This was an episode from Our Common Nature, a seven-episode podcast series of Yo-Yo Ma’s musical journey around the country to places where people have deep connections to the Earth. Listen to the Our Common Nature EP

Credits:

Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings

Hosted by Ana González
Produced by Alan Goffinski
Editing from Pearl Marvell
Sound design and episode music by Alan Goffinski

Additional sound design by Mira Burt-Wintonick

Mixed by Joe Plourde

Fact-checking by Ena Alvarado. Additional fact checking by Sophie Samiee.

Executive Producers are Emily Botein, Ben Mandelkern, Sophie Shackleton, and Jonathan Bays.

Our advisors are Mira Burt-Wintonick, Kamaka Dias, Kelley Libbey, and Chris Newell

Episode photo by Austin Mann; Episode and show art by Tiffany Pai

HEY GROWN-UPS!
Love the show? Leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review on your podcast app—it helps curious listeners find us!

Terrestrials is made possible in part by listeners like you. Support the show by joining The Explorers Club —and we’ll send you a special puzzle as a thank-you gift from our team!

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts about Terrestrials with us.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for bite-sized essays, activities, and ways to connect with the show.
Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for behind-the-scenes extras and more.

Listen to original music from Terrestrials on Spotify, Apple Music, or our music page.

Got a badgering question for the team? Email us at terrestrials@wnyc.org or submit a voice memo with your name, age, and your question using this form!