Yo-Yo Ma who is born on October 7, 1955, in Paris, is a Chinese American cellist, Spent his schooling years in New York City and a child prodigy, started performing from the age of four and a half years. He is certified from the Juilliard School and Harvard University and has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world. He has recorded more than 90 albums and won 19 Grammy Awards.
Ma 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.
Yo-Yo has also done features in his music with musicians including; jazz singer Bobby McFerrin, guitarist Carlos Santana, Sérgio Assad, and his brother, Odair, and singer-composer and guitarist James Taylor.
Related topic : Artist/Band-Phil Ramone Bio, Music, Wife, Death, And Net Worth
Yo-Yo Ma Biography
Born on October 7, 1955, in Paris, France, Yo-Yo Ma is a cellist and songwriter of Chinese descent. He was a genius leading him to attend the Juilliard School. Ma continues to excel throughout his adult life, producing more than 75 albums and winning 18 Grammy Awards.
QUICK FACTS
Name: Yo-Yo ma
AkA : Yo-Yo Ma
Full Names : Yo-Yo Ma
Birth Date : October 7, 1955 (age 63)
Place of birth: Paris, France
EDUCATION: The Juilliard School, Columbia University, Harvard University Yo-Yo Ma
- DID YOU KNOW?
By age 5, Ma had reportedly memorized three of Johann Sebastian Bach’s solo suites. - DID YOU KNOW?
Yo-Yo Ma plays a Venetian 17th-century Montagnana cello and a Davidoff Stradivarius
He also served as artistic director of the Silk Road Project(an organization dedicated to promoting the various traditions along the ancient Silk Road trade route.)
In 2001, Ma’s awarded the National Medal of Arts. In 2010, he was named a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Early Life
Younger Years
He is Born on October 7, 1955, in Paris, France. His mother was a musician and his father was a poet and teacher of music.
At the start, it was his father who would tutor both Ma and his older sister, ‘Yeou-Cheng,’ in the classics.
Ma and his sister had to wake up at 4 or 5Am to practices. Her sister learnt violin and piano.
Then by the age of 3, Ma started to receive the same treatment. Having started violin classes when he was a toddler, Ma began playing the cello when he was just 4 years old. By age 5, he had memorized three of Johann Sebastian Bach’s solo suites. Despite the great demand both he and his sister felt from their parents to be the best, Ma credits his early success to his father’s teaching technique and precision.
When he was 7, Ma relocated with his family to New York. At that time Ma was already one of the most famous classical musicians in the world. He then went on to attend the Juilliard School in New York City. but craved to experience life beyond music. He decided to enroll at Harvard University at age 16. Prepared to experience college life, Ma narrowed his performances at Harvard and took courses in everything from anthropology to German literature. He certified in 1976 with a liberal arts degree.
Early Career
After graduating from Harvard, Ma was ready to displace his profession into overdrive. But alternatively, it came to a standstill when he was forced to undergo risky back surgery for a critical case of scoliosis.
He wore a body cast for six months and was not permitted to play at all during his rehabilitation. Notwithstanding the risks of his surgery, the operation ceased up being a breakthrough. From later on, he was in high demand, sometimes booking concerts years in advance.
Personal Life
Ma’s been married to longtime companion Jill Horner since 1978. The couple has a son and daughter. The Ma family resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts.