Musician of the Month: Yo-Yo Ma
From a child prodigy to Grammy award-winning cellist and songwriter, Yo-Yo Ma is as humble as he is brilliant. Breaking into music at the age of three, Ma views the great pressure his father put on him at a young age as a catalyst for his current music career. While he broke the traditional path of a musician by attending Harvard University to study liberal arts in the 1970s, his innate talent as a musician couldn’t be ignored.
With over 100 albums to his name and a worldwide loyal following, Ma has used his talent to change both the music industry and the world at large. In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Ma’s list of accomplishments and dedication to addressing concerns of Americans of Chinese heritage make Yo-Yo Ma the best choice for our May musician of the month.
The Early Life of Yo-Yo Ma
Born on October 7th, 1955, in Paris, France, Yo-Yo Ma was raised by a family of musicians. The classically trained cellist and songwriter grew up playing pieces by the great masters of classical music. 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. So, at a young age, Ma began training with his father and older sister, Yeou-Cheng, in the great classics.
While one might think his early years of training would pave a path of rebellion with the art, it’s the 4 or 5 AM practices and high expectations of his father that Ma attributes to his early success in music. By the age of three, he had begun learning the violin. At four, Ma picked up the cello for the first time, the instrument he would commit to from that point on. Impressively, at the age of five, Ma had already memorized three of Johann Sebastian Bach’s solo suites and began performing to audiences.
The child prodigy would take his first step towards the notable fame he holds today when his family moved to New York when he was seven-years-old. It was in that year that Ma performed for presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, making him one of the most famous classical musicians in the world as an adolescent. Ma graduated from high school at the Professional Children’s School at just 15-years-old. From there, he continued to study the cello under Leonard Rose at the Juilliard School in New York City.
Unlike most musical greats who begin studying at a young age, Ma had a deep desire to experience life beyond music. Instead of continuing to study in conservatory, like many of his peers, Ma sought out a liberal arts education and enrolled at Harvard University. During his time at Harvard, Ma limited his musical performances to focus on courses in everything from anthropology to German literature. He graduated from the University in 1976 with a degree in anthropology, a subject matter that would become the organizing principle of his career.
A Career Filled with Accomplishments
At the heart of Yo-Yo Ma’s career is his enduring belief in a culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. Ma has spent decades exploring the culture’s role in society and engaging in unexpected musical forms to foster connections that spark imagination and reinforce the strong bond of humanity. Experimentation and innovation are the hallmarks of Ma’s career. He relentlessly fights to keep classical music alive, even bringing it to a larger audience than ever before. While he is undoubtedly considered a classical musician, his wide-range of interest in different musical genres and his immense versatility are the driving force in his ability to retain the public’s interest in a form of music that many new generations would consider outdated.
Since the 1980s, Yo-Yo Ma has released over 100 albums that reflect his wide range of musical interests. Some of his earliest successes can be found in the following albums:
Great Cello Concertos (1989)
Made in America (1993)
Many of Ma’s career highlights can be attributed to his iconic renditions of the Western classical canon (Appalachia Waltz and Appalachian Journey), his tributes to the music of Brazil (Obrigado Brazil), and his interest in American bluegrass. When it comes to his artistic background, Ma has certainly written the script on maintaining a balanced career. His career completely encompasses the many directions a musician can go with performing, solo performances with orchestras, recital and chamber music, and collaborations with a wide circle of musicians and institutions across a wide range of musical genres.
Ma has collaborated with musical talents like Bobby McFerrin, Mark O’Connor, Edgar Meyer, and Stuart Duncan. He has been a Sony recording artist for more than 30 years and holds the title as one of Billboard music’s best classical sellers. While few classical artists today can say that they can guarantee a sellout crowd when they schedule a performance, Ma does not follow the norm. His enormous name recognition, audience loyalty, and ability to always provide a first-class performance have kept his concerts alive and booming.
Other notable musical contributions include:
Interesting Facts and Performances of Yo-Yo Ma
Among Ma’s greatest accomplishments are some of the performances he has under his belt. This includes:
A 1986 performance on the New York Philharmonic’s tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. The performance was televised live on ABC Television and performed in Central Park, New York City.
Ma performed a duet with Condoleeza Rice at the presentation of the 2001 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal Awards.
With classical music’s reputation of being a solace during times of tragedy, Yo-Yo Ma was called as the first performer of the 1st-anniversary ceremony of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Ma performed the Sarabande from Bach’s Cello Suite #5 in C Minor, as the names of those killed in the attacks were read in remembrance at the site of the World Trade Center.
Ma performed at the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
He has performed for eight American presidents. Most recently, Ma fulfilled an invitation of President Barack Obama to play at his 56th Inaugural Ceremony.
Ma was called to play at the funeral mass of Senator Edward M. Kennedy and the memorial service of Steve Jobs.
On May 3rd, 2009, Ma performed the world premiere of Bruce Adolphe’s Self Comes to Mind at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The work was written for the composer of the evolution of the brain into the mind by the famous neuroscientists, Antonio Damasio.
On October 3rd, 2009, Ma appeared alongside Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the National Arts Centre gala in Ottawa. Ma accompanied Harper on his cello in their rendition of With a Little Help from My Friends by The Beatles.
On April 18th, 2013, Yo-Yo Ma performed at an interfaith service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. Along with other musicians, he was accompanied by members of the Boston Children’s Chorus.
Despite a long list of serious, notable performances and dignified accomplishments, Yo-Yo Ma is a genuine guy with a humble spirit. As the father of two, he also has a fun side and experienced some interesting events during his life. Some fun facts about Ma include:
He appeared in an episode of the animated children’s television series Arthur and Sesame Street. He also has had several appearances on The Simpsons and featured on the television series The West Wing.
Yo-Yo Ma appeared twice on the famous children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood where he developed a friendship with Fred Rogers. In 2014, Ma received the Fred Rogers Legacy Award, stating it was “the greatest honor I’ve ever received.”
Ma was often invited to press events by Apple Inc. and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs. He also appeared in a commercial for the Macintosh computer. His recordings were used in a memorial video released by Apple on the 1st anniversary of Job’s death.
Ma was named “Sexiest Classical Musician” by People magazine in 2001, what he’s called the worst characterization he’s ever faced.
In 1998, Yo-Yo Ma founded the Silk Road Project, a means to educate and study the culture and art that thrived on the Silk Road. The organization’s vision is to “connect the world’s neighborhoods by bringing together artists and audiences around the globe.” He continues to serve as the organization’s artistic director.
In 2000, Ma was called to play on the soundtrack for the motion picture Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a project that landed him several Academy Awards.
Yo-Yo Ma serves as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant, artistic director of the annual Youth Music Culture Guangdong festival, and the UN Messenger of Peace. He is the 1st artist to ever be appointed to the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees.
Ma plays three instruments, a 2003 Moes and Moes cello made in the U.S., a 1733 Montagnana cello from Venice, and the 1712 Davidoff Stradivarius he inherited with the passing of Jacqueline du Pré. Ma’s primary performance instrument, the Domenico Montagnana cello, is valued at $2.5 million. The instrument was nicknamed “Petunia” by one of Ma’s students. He accidentally left it in an NYC taxicab in 1999, but it was returned undamaged.
Notable Awards and Recognitions
The list of awards and recognitions obtained by Yo-Yo Ma is long, but some of his most notable achievements include:
Grammy Awards for Best Chamber Music Performance in 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, and 1996.
Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance in 1985, 1990, 1993, 1995, and 1998.
Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition in 1995.
Grammy Award for Best Classical Album in 1998.
Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover Albums in 1999, 2001, 2004, and 2009.
Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2012
Grammy Award for Best World Music Album in 2018
1978 Avery Fisher Prize
1999 Glenn Gould Prize
2001 National Medal of Arts
2004 Harvard Arts Medal
2004 Latin Grammy for Best Instrumental Album
2005 Doctor of Musical Arts at Princeton University
2007 Award of Distinction at the International Cello Festival
2011 Kennedy Center Honor
2011 Presidential Medal of Freedom
2012 Polar Music Prize
2014 Midwest Young Artists Golden Baton Award
2016 Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters
2019 Honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of Oxford
2019 Honorary Doctor of Arts from Dartmouth College
There is no doubt Yo-Yo Ma has been a trailblazer in the classical music industry, making him loved and respected as the greatest cellist in the world. But it’s his unquestionable character, humble spirit, and self-effacing manner that makes this humanitarian such a powerful figure of peace and unity across the world. Named the “citizen musician” for his charismatic demeanor and passionate commitment to human dignity, Yo-Yo Ma has effortlessly changed the world for the better in his pursuit to inspire a continued love for the great classics of music.