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YO-YO MA

Yo-Yo Ma (Chinese: 馬友友; pinyin: Mǎ Yǒuyǒu) (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born Chinese American virtuoso cellist, considered one of the finest in the world.

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Life and career

Ma was born in Paris to Chinese parents and had a musical upbringing. His mother, Marina Lu (Chinese: 盧雅文; pinyin: Lú Yǎwén), was a singer, while his father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma (Chinese: 馬孝駿; pinyin: Mǎ Xiàojùn), was a conductor and composer. Ma began to study the violin, then the viola, before taking up the cello. His family moved to New York when he was seven years old.

Ma was a child prodigy, appearing on American television at the age of eight in a concert conducted by Leonard Bernstein. He entered the Juilliard School, and then went to Harvard University, but had begun to question whether to continue his studies until, in the 1970s, Pablo Casals's performing inspired him.

Ma and Condoleezza Rice after performing a duet.
Ma and Condoleezza Rice after performing a duet.

However, even before that time, he had steadily gained fame, and had performed with most of the world's major orchestras. His recordings and performances of Johann Sebastian Bach's suites for unaccompanied cello are particularly acclaimed, and he has also played a good deal of chamber music — often with the pianist Emanuel Ax, with whom he has a close friendship stretching back to their days at the Juilliard School of Music in New York.

His main performance instrument is a very fine cello, "Petunia", made by Domenico Montagnana in Venice in 1733. One of his other celli, the "Davidov Stradivarius", was previously played regularly by Jacqueline du Pré and left to him upon her death. Du Pré had previously voiced her frustration with that cello's 'unpredictability', while Ma puts this down to du Pré's passionate style of playing, and says that this cello has to be 'coaxed' by the player. It was until recently set up in a Baroque manner, since Ma exclusively played Baroque music on it. In 1999, Yo-Yo Ma left the $2.5 million Stradivarius cello in a New York City taxi. He also owns a cello made by American luthier firm Moes & Moes, and has a carbon-fiber cello made by Boston firm Luis & Clark.

Ma has been called "the most omnivorous of all cellists" by critics and indeed possesses a far more eclectic repertoire than is typical for a classical player. He has performed and recorded Baroque pieces on period instruments, American bluegrass music, traditional Chinese melodies, the Argentinian tangos of Ástor Piazzolla, Brazilian music, the soundtrack to the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and Philip Glass's minimalist score for Naqoyqatsi, in addition to numerous recordings of the standard classical repertoire. His latest CD is a collaboration with other musicians for the Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack.

He currently plays with his own Silk Road Ensemble, which has the goal of bringing together musicians from diverse countries all of which are historically linked via the Silk Road, and records on the Sony Classical label.

Ma married his long-time girlfriend, Jill Hornor, a violinist, in 1978. They have two children, Nicholas and Emily. Ma's elder sister, Yeou-Cheng Ma (馬友乘), also born in Paris, is a violinist, married to Michael Dadap, a New York guitarist. Together, they currently run the Children's Orchestra Society (COS) on Long Island.

Ma has appeared in an episode of the animated children's television series, Arthur, as well as on The West Wing, Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He also starred in the visual accompaniment to his recordings of Bach's Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello.

Ma has also been seen with Apple Computer and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs. Yo-Yo Ma is often invited to press events for Jobs's companies, even performing on stage during an Apple Keynote presented by Mr. Jobs.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced in January of 2006 that Ma will take on a new role as a UN Peace Ambassador.

Discography

Main article: Yo-Yo Ma discography

Awards and recognitions

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance:

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra):

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra):

  • Yo-Yo Ma for Bach: The Unaccompanied Cello Suites (1985)

Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition:

Grammy Award for Best Classical Album:

Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album:

Others:

See also

References in Media

In the TV sitcom Seinfeld, the character Cosmo Kramer says Yo-Yo Ma several times in the episode "The Pitch/The Ticket" (episodes 3 and 4 of season 4) after the character Crazy Joe Davola kicks him in the head and causes substantial brain damage. Kramer lived luckily due to the helmet he traded Newman for with his faulty radar detector. Character George Costanza inquires about 'Yo Yo Ma' once, Seinfeld then tells George he is a Cellist.

Ma has also made a guest appearance on the animated series Arthur.

Ma appeared in the West Wing episode "Noël", in which he performed at a Christmas dinner at the White House.

In the movie School of Rock, Ma is referenced by Dewey Finn at the teachers table, saying "Yo-Yo Ma's cousin little Nepatiz."

External links