Sold out.
Those two words describe the response of box office workers Monday, Aug. 29 at 1:30 p.m. In five hours, tickets to world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma‘s concert completely ran out.
Ma is scheduled to perform Sept. 30 at the Green Center for Performing Arts. Tickets went on sale for students at 9 a.m. Monday morning and noon for faculty, staff and general admission.
Within seven minutes of the box office's opening, general seating for the concert was sold out. By 1:30 p.m., all student tickets had been claimed as well.
Both Christie Anderson, a resident of Greencastle, and DePauw professor Pauline Ota were not surprised by the rapid sales.
"It is a bargain that his concert is close to home and you don't have to drive out of town," Ota said. "I can afford to see the concert of a world-renowned artist. Also the turnout should be great because it has good timing and has had good advertising — even Greencastle knows."
While Anderson and Ota received tickets, many others were disappointed.
Freshman Noelle Carter said she wished there had been better communication about ticket sales and maintained that the system seemed unfair.
"It's frustrating and disappointing that I am not able to see a world-renowned soloist," Carter said. "And it also would have been really cool for my dad to be able to see Yo-Yo Ma because he attended Harvard with him."
Ma has over 75 albums available, 15 of which have won Grammy awards.
He has collaborated with many other musicians and has performed in New York City, London and Tokyo with orchestras worldwide. Next month, he will perform in Greencastle with members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and will teach a master class with DePauw music students.
"On behalf of the DePauw community, we are profoundly excited to welcome Yo-Yo Ma to our campus," said President Brian Casey on the university website. "His life's work at the intersection of music, creativity and the exchange of ideas makes him an extraordinary ambassador, not only for the arts, but also for liberal education as a whole."
The concert will be held in Kresge Auditorium, which seats 1,400 people.
Tickets were free for DePauw students, and $10 for faculty and staff.