Yo-Yo Ma
Born October 7, 1955
Paris, France
Genres Classical
Occupation(s)
Musician composer educator humanitarian
Instruments Cello
Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American cellist. Born in Paris, he spent his schooling years in New York City and was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from the Juilliard School and Harvard University and has enjoyed a prolific career as both a soloist performing with orchestras around the world and a recording artist. He has recorded more than 90 albums and received 18 Grammy Awards.
In addition to recordings of the standard classical repertoire, he has recorded a wide variety of folk music such as American bluegrass music, traditional Chinese melodies, the tangos of Argentinian composer Ástor Piazzolla, and Brazilian music. He also collaborated with Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Bobby McFerrin. Ma’s primary performance instrument is a Montagnana cello crafted in 1733 valued at US$2.5 million.
He has been a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 2006.
He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2001, Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, and the Polar Music Prize in 2012.
Yo-Yo Ma was born in Paris on October 7, 1955, to Chinese parents and had a musical upbringing. His mother, Marina Lu, was a singer and his father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma, was a violinist and professor of music at Nanjing National Central University (predecessor of the present-day Nanjing University). His sister, Yeou-Cheng Ma, played the violin before obtaining a medical degree and becoming a pediatrician. The family moved to New York when Ma was seven years old.
Personal life
Ma is married to Jill Hornor, an arts consultant. They have two children, Nicholas and Emily. Although he personally considers it the “worst epithet he’s ever faced”, he was still “tagged” in 2001 as “Sexiest Classical Musician” by People. He has continued to receive such accolades over the years, including from AARP in 2012. However, he has also been praised as a man of unquestionable character. He has also been singled out for his humble spirit, self-effacing manner, and humanitarianism.
Discography
Ma’s albums include recordings of cello concertos (including, among others, Shostakovich, Brahms, Elgar, and Haydn), sonatas for cello and piano, Bach’s cello suites, and a variety of chamber music. He has also recorded in non-classical styles, notably in collaboration with Bobby McFerrin on their 1992 Sony album, Hush.
In the seventh episode of the first season of The West Wing, President Bartlet informs the Indonesian President that Yo-Yo Ma would be playing at the state dinner later in the episode. Ma appears in the tenth episode of the second season, performing Bach’s Suit No. 1 for Cello.
In Seinfeld episode #44 The ticket, Kramer repeatedly and randomly yells out “Yo-Yo Ma” after having suffered a head injury.
In the fifth episode of the second season of Better Call Saul, Rebecca Chuck tells Jimmy that Yo-Yo Ma came to his and his wife’s wedding, hinting to Rebecca’s talent in music.
In Mozart in the Jungle, the name Yo-Yo Ma gets mentioned several times when characters who play the cello are being compared to him, e.g. episode one, season three; episode 10, season three. Also, Yo-Yo Ma is featured in the soundtrack of season 3.
Notable awards and recognitions
Grammys
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance:
1986 Brahms: Cello and Piano Sonatas in E Minor Op. 38, and F Op. 99 (RCA 17022)
1987 Beethoven: Cello and Piano Sonata No. 4 in C & Variations (CBS 42121)
1992 Brahms: Piano Quartets Op. 25, Op. 26 (Sony 45846)
1993 Brahms: Sonatas for Cello & Piano (Sony 48191)
1996 Brahms/Beethoven/Mozart: Clarinet Trios (Sony 57499)
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance:
1990 Barber: Cello Concerto, Op. 22/Britten: Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68 (CBS 44900)
1993 Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante/Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme (Sony 48382)
1995 The New York Album – Works of Albert, Bartók & Bloch (Sony 57961)
1998 Yo-Yo Ma Premieres – Danielpour, Kirchner, Rouse (Sony Classical 66299)
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance:
1985 Bach: The Unaccompanied Cello Suites (CBS 37867)
Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition:
1995 The New York Album, Stephen Albert: Cello Concerto (Sony 57961)
Grammy Award for Best Classical Album:
1998 Yo-Yo Ma Premieres – Danielpour, Kirchner, Rouse (Sony Classical 66299)
Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album:
1999 Soul of the Tango – The Music of Ástor Piazzolla (Sony Classical 63122)
2001 Appalachian Journey (Sony 66782)
2004 Obrigado Brazil (Sony 89935)
2009 Songs of Joy & Peace (Sony Classical B001BN1V8U)
Grammy Award for Best Folk Album:
2012 The Goat Rodeo Sessions w/ Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile
Grammy Award for Best World Music Album:
2017 Sing Me Home – Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia