WHYY 2024 Lifelong Learning Award

LIFELONG LEARNING

Committee

Donald Barb and Bruce Davidson

Bob Bogle

John Chin

Sarah Miller Coulson

Lori Espe

Carole Haas Gravagno

Beth Hare

Jan Jessup

Kevin and Pamela Mahoney

Randi Marrazzo

Alba Martinez

Leslie Miller and Richard Worley

John Salveson

Jerry and Jackie Sweeney

Matías Tarnopolsky

Jay and Jo Ann Townsend

Partners in possibility.

Being your power company means so much more than keeping the lights on and natural gas flowing. It’s about helping our communities thrive. That’s why we’re proud to sponsor WHYY’s Lifelong Learning Award and honor Yo-Yo Ma for his profound dedication to music and learning, impacting communities worldwide. This is our home, too. And neighbors like you inspire us to make our communities even more vibrant, every single day.

YO-YO MA

For years, Yo-Yo Ma has demonstrated a commitment to lifelong learning in public media. He has made multiple guest appearances on public media shows including Sesame Street, Mister Rogers Neighborhood and on PBS’ Great Performances

Most recently, Yo-Yo began Our Common Nature, a cultural journey to celebrate the ways that nature can reunite us in pursuit of a shared future. Our Common Nature follows the Bach Project, a 36-community, six-continent tour of J. S. Bach’s cello suites paired with local cultural programming. Both endeavors reflect Yo-Yo’s lifelong commitment to stretching the boundaries of genre and tradition to understand how music helps us to imagine and build a stronger society.

Yo-Yo Ma was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris, where he began studying the cello with his father at age four. When he was seven, he moved with his family to New York City, where he continued his cello studies before pursuing a liberal arts education.

Yo-Yo has recorded more than 120 albums, is the winner of 19 Grammy Awards, and has performed for nine American presidents, most recently on the occasion of President Biden’s inauguration. He has received numerous awards, including the National Medal of the Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Birgit Nilsson Prize. He has been a UN Messenger of Peace since 2006, and was recognized as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020.

TERRY GROSS

A highlight of the WHYY Lifelong Learning Award event will be Terry Gross’ live interview of Yo-Yo Ma. Terry Gross is host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, heard weekly by over 5 million fans on some 650 NPR stations and is one of the top radio podcasts in the nation. Terry has been often cited as the best in her profession and at the same time is able to relate to audiences with the “classic driveway moment” intimacy. She was named a PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion for her years of highlighting authors and books.

2024

Learning Award Celebration

DEAR FRIENDS,

On behalf of everyone at WHYY, it is our distinct honor and privilege to welcome you to the 2024 Lifelong Learning Award event, where we gather to celebrate the remarkable achievements of a true luminary, Yo-Yo Ma. Tonight, we pay tribute to a person whose unparalleled talent, boundless creativity and unwavering commitment to lifelong learning have inspired countless individuals around the globe. Through his superior music and tireless advocacy for the arts and education, Yo-Yo Ma has touched hearts, opened minds, and brought people together in ways that defy boundaries and transcend differences.

At WHYY, we share Yo-Yo Ma’s belief in the transformative power of lifelong learning. Through our educational programs, thought-provoking documentaries, news services and engaging cultural events, we strive to ignite curiosity, foster understanding, deepen civic engagement and empower individuals of all ages to explore, discover and grow.

William J. Marrazzo

WHYY

President and Chief Executive Officer

BDO’s core purpose is helping people thrive, every day. We focus on working with, for and in the service of our people, clients and communities, and we are proud to support an organization that is making such an impact in our community.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Yo-Yo Ma for his extraordinary contributions to the world of music and education. And we congratulate and thank him for reminding us of the boundless possibilities that await when we approach life with an open mind and thirst for knowledge.

Thank you for joining us to honor Yo-Yo Ma’s legacy. And thank you for ensuring that in this complex world of ours, WHYY remains a vital and viable source of information for all people to lean on as they explore and exercise their civic interests.

With warmest regards,

John Salveson

WHYY Board of Directors Chair

YO-YO MA

RECIPIENT OF WHYY’S 2024 LIFELONG LEARNING AWARD.

We congratulate Yo-Yo Ma, recipient of WHYY’s 2024 Lifelong Learning Award, on his incredible career and his commitment to public media.

We are proud to support WHYY’s mission to engage audiences, expand perspectives and empower communities through programs like The Pulse, Bridging Blocks and more.

Meet us for lunch at 12 on WHYY-FM 90.9...

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Carole Haas Gravagno

12 | Fridays at 7:30 PM Watch live. | Stream anytime. Host, Shirley Min Barbara Austell Fred and Barbara Sutherland Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Matt and Lori Espe

Frank L & Sarah Miller Coulson Foundation Donald Barb and Bruce Davidson

Jay and Jo Ann Townsend

Harriet and Larry Weiss Neil A. Oxman Your local guide to people, places and events you might not know about in the Philadelphia region.

AS OF APRIL 23, 2024

WE SALUTE

Yo-Yo Ma

Independence Blue Cross (IBX) is proud to sponsor WHYY’s 22nd Annual Lifelong Learning Award. We recognize the 2024 honoree, Yo-Yo Ma, for uniting people through music, along with his myriad other cultural contributions, in our country and around the world.

IBX is steadfast in its commitment to improving the lives and health of people in our region.

Tom Ridge Dawn Staley

Edward G. Rendell

Charles P. Pizzi

Louis Gates Jr.

R. Hite Jr.

MacNeil

Jim Lehrer

Kasell Joseph Neubauer

Woodruff

Ifill Cokie Roberts

Ken Burns Kenny Gamble John C. Bogle Joseph Biden Jr. Anthony Fauci

Lidia Bastianich

WHYY thanks the members of our Board of Directors for your leadership and support

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

John Salveson, Chair of the Board

Barbara C. Bisgaier, Vice-Chair of the Board

Barbara Austell, Treasurer

Steven Scott Bradley, Secretary

William J. Marrazzo, President and CEO

Kyra G. McGrath, Assistant Secretary

Michael Araten

Barbara A. Austell

Barbara C. Bisgaier

Durga Bobba

Steven Scott Bradley

Flora M. Castillo

Diane Siegel Danoff

Rina Desai

Nina Gussack

La-Toya P. Hackney

Eric Helt

Michelle Hong

Alex Khorram

Peggy Leimkuhler

Christopher Lukach

Cheryl D. Maddox

Jennifer

Jennifer Rodriguez

John F. Salveson

Michael Sneed

L. Frederick Sutherland

Larry Weiss

Stephanie Zarus

Jefferson Congratulates Yo-Yo Ma on the WHYY Lifelong Learning Award

Creating our third century.

For two centuries we’ve been a university of firsts in a city known for them – redefining possible through our insatiable educators and innovators, our bold and curious researchers and our uncompromising caregivers and healers. Ours is a legacy of advancements and lifelong learning – fueled by inspired leaders committed to our communities and to improving lives.

Director Emeritus Marban McGraw Sparkman

William J. Marrazzo

Ralph Muller

Roberts

WHYY-TV 12 cooks up a storm Saturday afternoons!

Discover new ingredients, learn simple tips and the best recipes. Become the chef you’ve always wanted to be. Visit whyy.org/tv for program schedules

WANTED: Gospel choirs, Soloists and Ensembles. Enter to win bragging rights and prizes!

Scan the QR code, or visit whyy.org/gospel for details and how to enter.

Submission Deadline: May 31, 2024

A Gospel Singing Competition

WHYY ADMINISTRATION

WILLIAM J. MARRAZZO

President and Chief Executive Officer

RICHARD BANIEWICZ

Vice President, Digital Products and Services

RUTH CLAUSER

Senior Vice President and Chief HR Officer

FRANK GLAVIN

Chief Information Officer

SARAH GLOVER

Vice President, News and Civic Dialogue

BRAD LASZEWSKI

Vice President of Administrative Services

KYRA G. MCGRATH

Executive Vice President/President, New Ventures and Enterprises

TERRI MURRAY

Vice President, Program Production and Chief Content Officer

BEN SMITH

Vice President, Financial Planning & Treasury

NANCY STUSKI

Senior Vice President, Institutional Advancement

KEVIN YOSHIOKA

Vice President, Finance and Analysis

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

Con gratulates YO-YO MA

We are grateful for his advocacy of the arts, being an agent of change, and his passion for education.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SALONEN CONDUCTS SIBELIUS May 9–11

SPOTLIGHT SERIES: EVGENY KISSIN May 15

YANNICK CONDUCTS LA BOHÈME June 7 & 9

70challenge 70for

Celebrate 70 years of WHYY by making a legacy commitment to ensure the future of public media in your community in 2024.

Join Lisa from Kennett Square

Lisa has been a member of WHYY since 2010 and recently decided to update her legacy plan to include WHYY and other worthy charities. “Public television provides educational programming for all; imagine if we didn’t have Sesame Street,” she said. “The future of WHYY is important to me for my grandchildren.”

The future of WHYY depends on all of us!

You can make a simple change in your will, trust, or beneficiary designation to include WHYY in your plans today; gifts in any amount make a difference for our future and unlock a $1,000 gift when you make this commitment by December 31, 2024.

Learn more by visiting whyy.org/legacy