Yo-Yo Ma

Yo-Yo Ma, born in 1955, American cellist, known for his elegant performances of even the most difficult music. Born in Paris, Ma first studied violin and viola as a child. He made his debut on the cello when he was five years old, playing a small, scaled-down instrument. Three years later, Ma moved to the United States with his family. Enrolling at the Juilliard School of Music at the age of nine, he trained with masters such as American cellist Leonard Rose. At the age of 15 Ma gave his first New York City public performance. He gained national attention soon thereafter when American composer Leonard Bernstein presented him in a television program arranged to raise funds for the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Ma attended Harvard University from 1972 to 1976 and spent his summers during this period participating in the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. He won the Avery Fisher Prize in 1978 and subsequently gained international recognition.

Praised for the quality of his recitals, which are marked by fiery virtuosity as well as sensitivity, Ma performed as a concerto soloist both in recording studios and in the concert halls of most major orchestras. He has a particular interest in chamber music, and has collaborated with such colleagues as American-born violinist Yehudi Menuhin, American violinist Pinchas Zukerman, and American pianist Emanuel Ax. Ma is recognized for his interpretations of the sonatas of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven as well as of the music of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. His readings of the music of Russian composer Dmitry Shostakovich and of Hungarian composer Béla Bartók are also praised. Ma has won numerous Grammy Awards for his recorded chamber-music performances, solos, and work with orchestral accompaniment.