Yo-Yo Ma is a Chinese-American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from four and a half years old.
Yo-Yo Ma graduated from the Juilliard School and Harvard University, attended Columbia University, and has performed as a soloist with orchestras worldwide. He has recorded more than 90 albums and received 19 Grammy Awards.
In addition to recordings of the standard classical repertoire, Ma has recorded a wide variety of folk music, such as American bluegrass music, traditional Chinese melodies, the tangos of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, and Brazilian music. He has collaborated with artists in diverse genres, including the singer Bobby McFerrin, the guitarist Carlos Santana, Sérgio Assad and his brother, Odair, and the singer-songwriter-guitarist James Taylor. Ma’s primary performance instrument is a 1733 Montagnana cello.
Yo-Yo Ma siblings: Who are Yo-Yo Ma siblings?
Ma’s mother, Marina Lu, was a singer, and his father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma, was a violinist, composer, and professor of music at Nanjing National Central University. They both migrated from the Republic of China to France during the Chinese Civil War.
Ma’s sister, Yeou-Cheng Ma, played the violin and piano before obtaining a medical degree and becoming a pediatrician. The family moved to New York City when Ma was seven.
