Ticket lottery now open for Louisville Orchestra's show with Yo-Yo Ma at Mammoth Cave

Award-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma will join the Louisville Orchestra this spring for several high-profile performances, including two sure to draw plenty of attention — a pair of shows at Kentucky's Mammoth Cave National Park.

The two performances inside the largest known cave system in the world are set for April 29 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to an announcement Wednesday from the Louisville Orchestra, and will take place at Rafinesque Hall, a large open room inside the cave.

Tickets for the performances, part of the planned "In Harmony – The Commonwealth Tour of the Louisville Orchestra" showcase, are likely to be in high demand. And producers behind the show have a plan in place to distribute them.

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An online lottery will take place that will determine who's in the crowd this spring for the two shows. The lottery will be held at recreation.gov ― registration opened at 10 a.m. on Jan. 30 and will end at 10 a.m. on Feb. 6. Only one application per email address will be accepted, according to the website, and each application can request up to four tickets. A $1 application fee apply to all entries, but there are no additional fees.

Still, if you miss out on the Mammoth Cave performances, you may not be completely out of luck. Another opportunity will be available to catch the collaboration as Yo-Yo Ma, who plans to stay in the city for a five-day residency in April ahead of the shows at the park, will also perform alongside the Louisville Orchestra on April 27 at the Kentucky Center's Whitney Hall. Single tickets to that event will go on sale for that event between $60 and $200 in March — ticket packages are currently available beginning at $1,000 that include premium seating, a pre-show reception, dinner and parking.

Those three performances are the only chances to see Yo-Yo Ma, but for the rest of the group, the show goes on.

The Louisville Orchestra will also hit the road for a statewide tour later this year — performances with Kentucky violinist Tessa Lark are scheduled in Prestonsburg, Pikeville, and Harlan from May 17-19, and in July the group will travel to Glasgow, Covington, Bowling Green, Ashland, and Bardstown for a series of shows featuring classic songs from the Bluegrass State and around the country. In September, Chris Thile, a mandolin player with ties to Murray, will join the orchestra for shows in Henderson, Owensboro, and Madisonville.

Additional performances from the Louisville Orchestra are scheduled around the state in early 2024.

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See Yo-Yo Ma with the Louisville Orchestra at Mammoth Cave

Ticket lottery: recreation.gov/ticket/facility/10090873

When to apply: Jan. 30 through Feb. 6

Reporter Kirby Adams contributed. Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Yo-Yo Ma at Mammoth Cave: How to get tickets