ASIMO Meets Yo-Yo Ma
Prior to a sold-out concert by Yo-Yo Ma and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra May 13, the renowned cellist was presented with the Orchestra's "Changing Lives through Music" Highest Achievement Award. The award was presented to Ma by DSO Music Director Designate Leonard Slatkin, American Honda Vice President Dick Szamborski, and Honda's ASIMO humanoid robot. ASIMO, which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, debuted its ability to conduct immediately preceding the award presentation when it led the orchestra in a short work called "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha by Mitch Leigh.