For many summers I had the pleasure of working with cellists in the Asian Youth Orchestra. Founded by Richard Pontzious and Sir Yehudi Menuhin, the AYO brings together talented musicians from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. They are working for six weeks each summer, initially in a three-week Rehearsal Camp, then for a three-week international concert tour with the celebrated conductors and soloists.