Yo-Yo Ma - cello
USA

Bom in Paris in 1955 to Chinese parents, Yo-Yo Ma began his cello studies with his father at age 4. The family moved to New York where he studied at The Juilliard School and at later at Harvard University, where he also received an honorary doctorate. He received the Avery Fisher Prize in 1978 and more recently the Glenn Gould award.

He is an imaginative, amazingly diverse and versatile artist who has gone beyond standard classical repertoire and many new commissioned works to cross-over projects involving not only other musical styles but also collaborations with other art forms, native Chinese music and its distinctive instruments and the music of the Kalahari bush people in Africa.

Mr. Ma and his wife, Jill, have two children, Nicholas and Emily.

He currently plays a Montagnana cello from Venice made in 1733 and a Davidoff Stradivarius made in 1712 (formerly owned by Jacqueline du Pré).

Influencing Teachers: Janos Scholz, Leonard Rose

Performer:

• Soloist.
• Chamber Music
• Videos/Films. Television (Sesame Street, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood)
• Collaborations with Nashville fiddler Mark O'Connor and bassist Edgar Meyer, Jazz Vocalist Bobby McFerrin

Teacher:

• Master Classes. e.g. Interlochen and Tanglewood

Recordings: Over 50 albums, 12 Grammies

• Concertos:
• Sonatas:
• Soul of the Tango (from Music Video "The Tango Lesson")
• With O'Connor and Meyer: Appalachia Waltz and Appalachian Journey
• With Bobby McFerrin: Hush
• 6-part film series Inspired by Bach. Explorations of the Solo Cello Suites in collaboration with a garden designer, choreographer, ice dancers and several film makers.
• Three Sony Classical Silk Road releases are planned, along with other multimedia projects, including a Silk Road website. In the Silk Road Project Ma promotea the study of the cultural, artistic and intellectual traditions along the ancient Silk Road trade route, which extended from easternmost Asia to Europe including such regions as India, Tibet, Persia and Greece. The first CD Solo has been released.

Updated May 14, 2000