Yo-Yo Ma#Instruments

Ma's mother, Marina Lu, was a singer, and his father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma, was a violinist, composer{{cite book |author1=Marina Ma |author2=John A. Rallo |title=My Son, Yo-Yo |publisher=The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press |location=Hong Kong |language=English |year=1995 |url=https://cup.cuhk.edu.hk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=198}} and professor of music at Nanjing National Central University (now relocated in Taoyuan, Taiwan; predecessor of the present-day Nanjing University and Southeast University). They both migrated from the Republic of China to France during the Chinese Civil War. Ma's sister, Ya tong sang, played the viola and piano professionally before obtaining a medical degree from Harvard and becoming a pediatrician.{{cite book | last=Pong | first=D. | chapter=Yo-Yo Ma | title= Encyclopedia of Modern China | publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons/Gale, Cengage Learning | year=2009 | isbn= 978-0-684-31566-9}} The family moved to Boston when Ma was seven.{{cite journal|last1= Tassel|first1=Janet|title=Yo-Yo Ma's Journeys|journal=Harvard Magazine |date=March 2000|issue= March–April 2000 |url= http://harvardmagazine.com/2000/03/yo-yo-mas-journeys-html |access-date=March 7, 2016}}{{cite journal|last1= Covington|first1= Richard |title= Yo-Yo Ma's Other Passion |journal=Smithsonian Magazine|issue=June 2002|url= http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/yo-yo-mas-other-passion-63898487/?no-ist |access-date=March 7, 2016}}

From the age of three, Ma played the drums, violin, piano, and later viola, but settled on the cello in 1960 at age four. When three-year-old Yo-Yo said he wanted a big instrument, his father went to see Etienne Vatelot, a foremost violin maker in Paris who, after a chat, lent him a 1/16th cello. He jokes that his first choice was the double bass due to its large size, but he compromised and took up the cello instead. While Hiao-Tsiun handled much of his son's early music education, he eventually conceded that Yo-Yo required a more skilled teacher, and signed his son up for cello lessons with the renowned Michelle Lepinte. He began performing before audiences at age five and played for presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy when he was seven.{{cite AV media notes | first=Mark | last=Salzman | others=Yo-Yo Ma | year=2001 | title=Classic Yo-Yo | url=http://www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/archive/2003-2004/perform/ma.asp | publisher=Sony | id=089667 | access-date=January 14, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204153205/http://www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/archive/2003-2004/perform/ma.asp | archive-date=February 4, 2008 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}{{cite episode|title =1|series = Faces of America|series-link = Faces of America (PBS series)|network = PBS|airdate = February 10, 2010 |season = 1|number = 1}} At age eight, he appeared on American television with his sister{{citation | last = Pang | first = Amelia | title = This Is New York: The Untold Story of Dr. Yeou-Cheng Ma, Violin Prodigy and Medical Doctor | year = 2001 | publisher = New York City Life}} in an event introduced by Leonard Bernstein. In 1964, Isaac Stern introduced them on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and they performed the Sonata of Sammartini. After moving to New York, Ma enrolled at the Juilliard School, where he studied under renowned cellist Leonard Rose, and attended Trinity School in New York but transferred to the Professional Children's School, where he graduated at age 15.Whiting, Jim "Yo-Yo Ma: A Biography" p.39 He appeared as a soloist with the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra in a performance of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations.

Ma attended Columbia University, but dropped out. He later enrolled at Harvard College. Prior to entering Harvard, Ma played in the Marlboro Festival Orchestra under the direction of cellist, conductor and Ma's childhood hero Pablo Casals. He spent four summers at the Marlboro Music Festival after meeting and falling in love with Mount Holyoke College sophomore and festival administrator Jill Hornor during his first summer there in 1972.{{cite book

| last = Weatherly

| first = Myra

| title = Yo-Yo Ma: Internationally Acclaimed Cellist

| publisher=Compass Point Books

| year = 2007

| location = Minneapolis, MN

| pages = [https://archive.org/details/yoyomainternatio0000weat/page/49 49]–50

| url = https://archive.org/details/yoyomainternatio0000weat

| url-access = registration

| isbn = 978-0-7565-1879-0}}

Even before that time, Ma gained fame and performed with many of the world's major orchestras. He has also played chamber music, often with pianist Emanuel Ax, with whom he has a close friendship from their days at Juilliard. Ma received his bachelor's degree in anthropology from Harvard in 1976,{{cite news |url= https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-01-14-yo-yo-ma_x.htm | title= Yo Yo Ma named U.N. peace ambassador | date= January 14, 2006 |work=USA Today | agency= Associated Press |access-date= April 10, 2007}} and in 1991 received an honorary doctorate from Harvard.{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9328691 |title= Yo-Yo Ma|encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=April 8, 2007}}

File:Yo-Yo Ma performing with the Los Angeles Phil.jpg and André Previn in 1988]]

Ma was featured on John Williams's soundtrack to the Hollywood film Seven Years in Tibet (1997). He was heard on the soundtrack of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). He collaborated with Williams again on the score for Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). He has also worked with Italian composer Ennio Morricone and has recorded Morricone's compositions of the Dollars Trilogy, including The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, as well as Once Upon a Time in America, The Mission, and The Untouchables. He has recorded over 90 albums, 19 of which are Grammy Award winners. He received the Award of Excellence from New York's International Center.

In addition to his prolific musical career, Ma collaborated in 1999 with landscape architects to design a Bach-inspired garden. Known as the Music Garden, it interprets Bach's Suite No. 1 in G major, with the garden's sections designed to correspond to the suite's dance movements.{{Cite web|url=http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/venues/torontomusicgarden/|title=Harbourfront Centre - Toronto Music Garden|website=Harbourfrontcentre.com|access-date=June 20, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807160528/https://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/venues/torontomusicgarden/|url-status=dead}} Toronto enthusiastically embraced the design, originally planned for Boston, and it was subsequently built in the Harbourfront neighborhood.{{Cite web|url=https://www.toronto.ca/data/parks/prd/facilities/complex/1707/index.html|title=Toronto Music Garden|website=Toronto.ca|date=March 6, 2017 |access-date=June 20, 2020}}

Ma was named Peace Ambassador by then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in January 2006.{{cite news | url=http://www.animato.com.au/blog/yo-yo-ma | title=Yo-Yo Ma becomes UN peace ambassador |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | date=January 14, 2006 | access-date=February 12, 2007 }} He is a founding member of the influential Chinese-American Committee of 100, which addresses the concerns of Americans of Chinese heritage.{{cite web|url=http://committee100.org/mission-history/ |title=Mission & History – Committee of 100 |website=Committee100.org |access-date=November 30, 2015}}

File:Yo-Yo Ma performs for President Ronald Reagan.jpg, Crown Princess Michiko and Crown Prince Akihito of Japan, and Nancy Reagan, October 1987]]

On November 3, 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Ma to serve on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.{{cite web | url=http://www.yo-yoma.com/news/president-obama-appoints-yo-yo-ma-presidents-committee-arts-and-humanities | title=President Obama appoints Yo-Yo Ma to the Presidents Committee on the Arts and Humanities | publisher=The White House | access-date=December 8, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107025931/http://www.yo-yoma.com/news/president-obama-appoints-yo-yo-ma-presidents-committee-arts-and-humanities | archive-date=November 7, 2009 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }} His music was featured in the 2010 documentary Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story, narrated by Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-nov-19-la-et-jews-baseball-20101119-story.html|first=Kenneth |last=Turan |title= Movie review: 'Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story' |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 19, 2010 |access-date=December 7, 2021}}{{cite web|url=http://www.jewsandbaseball.com/film1.html |title=Film |publisher=Jewsandbaseball.com |access-date=December 12, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/tag/kevin-youkilis/page/2/|first=Scott |last=Barancik |title=New film explores our love affair with baseball|publisher=Jewish Baseball News |date= July 7, 2010|access-date=December 12, 2010}} In 2010, President Obama announced that he would recognize Ma with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which Ma received in February 2011.{{Cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/17/president-obama-names-presidential-medal-freedom-recipients|title=President Obama Names Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients|date=November 17, 2010|via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|access-date=June 20, 2020}}

In 2010, Ma was named Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He launched the Citizen Musician initiative partnership in partnership with the orchestra's music director, Riccardo Muti.{{cite web |url=http://cso.org/Institute/CitizenMusician.aspx/ |title=The Negaunee Music Institute of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra |website=Cso.org |access-date=November 30, 2015 |archive-date=April 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428232333/http://cso.org/Institute/CitizenMusician.aspx |url-status=dead }} Also in 2010, he appeared on a solo album by guitarist Carlos Santana, Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time, playing alongside Santana and singer India Arie on the Beatles classic "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

In 2015, Ma performed with singer-songwriter and guitarist James Taylor on three tracks of Taylor's chart-topping album Before This World. In 2019, Ma directed the orchestra at the annual Youth Music Culture Guangdong. Ma is represented by the independent artist management firm Opus 3 Artists.{{cite web|last1=Sjostrom|first1=Jan|title=New Four Arts music, film programmer 'lives his work'|url=http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/local/new-four-arts-music-film-programmer-lives-his-work/QkM1R90WtKN8ygsyuGsnDI/|access-date=January 18, 2017|website=Palmbeachdailynews.com|archive-date=January 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118163103/https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/local/new-four-arts-music-film-programmer-lives-his-work/QkM1R90WtKN8ygsyuGsnDI/|url-status=dead}} Ma contributed to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist, released in September 2021, backing Miley Cyrus on a cover of the Metallica song "Nothing Else Matters".{{Cite web|last=He|first=Richard S.|date=2021-09-10|title=Every Metallica Blacklist cover ranked from worst to best|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-metallica-blacklist-cover-ranked-from-worst-to-best|access-date=2021-10-24|website=Loudersound.com|language=en}}

Ma serves on the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum.{{Cite web|url=https://www.weforum.org/about/leadership-and-governance/|title=Leadership and Governance - World Economic Forum|website=Weforum.org|access-date=October 7, 2024}}

{{Main|Silkroad (arts organization)}}

Ma formed his own collective, the Silk Road Ensemble, named after the route across Asia which for more than 2,000 years was used for trade between Europe and China. His goal was to bring together musicians from diverse countries that were historically linked via the Silk Road.{{Cite web|url=https://www.silkroad.org/about|title=About Silkroad|website=Silkroad}} The ensemble's recordings are issued on the Sony Classical label. He also founded the Silk Road Connect, an educational pilot program for children from middle schools in the United States, including New York City.{{cite web | url=http://www.silkroadproject.org/Education/SilkRoadConnect/tabid/455/Default.aspx | title=Silk Road Connect | publisher=The Silk Road Project | access-date=March 22, 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306093701/http://www.silkroadproject.org/Education/SilkRoadConnect/tabid/455/Default.aspx | archive-date=March 6, 2013 | df=mdy-all }}

Yo-Yo Ma has been referred to by critics as "omnivorous" and possesses an eclectic repertoire.{{cite news |url=http://www.berkshiresweek.com/062002/default.asp?filename=story1&adfile=ads4 |title=Yo-Yo Ma: Exploring culture with passion and involvement |publisher=Berkshires Week |first=Andrew L. |last=Pincus |date=June 20, 2002 |access-date=January 15, 2007 |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720102520/http://www.berkshiresweek.com/062002/default.asp?filename=story1&adfile=ads4 |url-status=dead }} In addition to numerous recordings of the standard classical repertoire, he has recorded Baroque pieces using period instruments; American bluegrass music; traditional Chinese melodies, including the soundtrack to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; the tangos of Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla; Brazilian music, recording traditional and contemporary songs composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Pixinguinha; a collaboration with Bobby McFerrin (where Ma admitted to being terrified by McFerrin's improvisation); and the music of modern minimalist Philip Glass, in such works as the 2002 Naqoyqatsi.

Ma is known for his smooth, rich tone, soulful lyricism, and virtuosity.{{Cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/35-who-made-a-difference-yo-yo-ma-114867029/|title=35 Who Made a Difference: Yo-Yo Ma|website=Smithsonianmag.com|language=en|access-date=June 16, 2019}} He released a cello recording of Niccolò Paganini's Caprice No. 24 for solo violin and Zoltán Kodály's Solo Sonata.

Ma's primary performance instrument is the Davidov cello, made in 1712 by Antonio Stradivari. It was previously owned by Jacqueline du Pré, who bequeathed it to him. Du Pré voiced her frustration with the cello's "unpredictability", but Ma attributed du Pré's sentiment to her impassioned style of playing, adding that the Stradivarius cello must be "coaxed" by the player.{{cite book

| last = Wilson

| first = Elizabeth

| title = Jacqueline Du Pré: Her Life, Her Music, Her Legend

| publisher=Arcade Publishing

| year = 1999

| pages = 286–287

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=G0wF757F-3UC&q=coax&pg=PA287

| isbn = 978-1559704908}}: "Jackie's unbridled dark qualities went against the Davydov. You have to coax the instrument. The more you attack it, the less it returns." Prior to the Davidov, he performed on a 1722 Matteo Gofriller cello which he used for much of his early career. The instrument was previously in the possession of the French cellist Pierre Fournier.{{Cite web|title= Yo-Yo Ma's magic cello ranked at the top|url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=20,29,35,45&post=25598 |access-date=July 17, 2023|website=Taiwan Today| date=March 1982 }}

Ma also plays on a 1733 Domenico Montagnana cello, named the "Petunia". In 2005, it was valued at US$2.5 million (US${{Inflation|US|2.5|2005|r=1}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}} prices). A student approached Ma after one of his classes in Salt Lake City and asked if the cello had a nickname. Ma replied, "No, but if I play for you, will you name it?" The student chose Petunia, and it stuck.{{cite news|last=Tyrangiel|first=Josh|title=10 Questions for Yo-Yo Ma|url= http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1042474,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050331041559/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1042474,00.html|archive-date=March 31, 2005|access-date=December 7, 2021|date=March 27, 2005|magazine=Time}} In 1999, Ma inadvertently left the cello in a taxicab in New York City, but it was quickly returned undamaged.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/17/nyregion/in-concert-searchers-retrieve-yo-yo-ma-s-lost-stradivarius.html | title=In Concert, Searchers Retrieve Yo-Yo Ma's Lost Stradivarius [sic] | work=New York Times | first=Katherine E. |last=Finkelstein | date=October 17, 1999 | access-date=December 7, 2021}} That year, when its neck was damaged during X-ray baggage inspection, he borrowed the Pawle Stradivarius cello from the Chimei Museum for a concert in Taiwan. The damage was repaired in time, but Ma played both Petunia and Pawle in the concert nonetheless.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/chimei-museum-taiwan/index.html|title=Taiwan's museum 'for the poor' home to world's largest violin collection|author=Maggie Hiufu Wong|website=CNN |date=October 4, 2018 |access-date=June 20, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://news.cts.com.tw/cts/general/199903/199903080025304.html |title=馬友友斷琴已修復演出無礙 |trans-title=Yo-Yo Ma's damaged cello has been repaired, and the performance will be unhindered |website=News.cts.com.tw|access-date=June 20, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=http://cm2.chimeimuseum.org/tw/entry.aspx?id=Ita0028|title=:: 奇美博物館提琴收藏數位典藏計畫 :: |trans-title=:: Chi Mei Museum Violin Collection Digital Collection Project:: |website=Cm2.chimeimuseum.org|access-date=June 20, 2020}}

Ma also owns a modern cello made by Peter and Wendela Moes of Warrenton, Virginia, one of carbon fiber by the Luis and Clark company of Boston,{{cite web | url=http://www.luisandclark.com/testimonials.php | title=Testimonials | publisher=Luis and Clark | access-date=January 15, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061129011906/http://luisandclark.com/testimonials.php |archive-date = November 29, 2006}} and a Samuel Zygmuntowicz cello. According to Zygmuntowicz, he "wants to give (Ma) a reason to leave his Montagnana at home."{{Cite web |title=5 World Class Soloists Actively Promoting Violin Making {{!}} MyLuthier Blog |url=https://www.myluthier.co/post/5-soloists-playing-on-contemporary-instruments |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=Myluthier.co |language=en}}

File:yoyoma rice.jpg after performing a duet at the presentation of the 2001 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal Awards]] On July 5, 1986, Ma performed in the New York Philharmonic's tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, which was televised live on ABC Television.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1986-07-05-8602090161-story.html|title=LIBERTY RECEIVES CLASSICAL SALUTE|author=Bill Kelley|website=Sun-Sentinel.com|date=July 5, 1986 |access-date=June 20, 2020}} The orchestra, with conductor Zubin Mehta, performed in Central Park.

Ma performed a duet with Condoleezza Rice at the presentation of the 2001 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal Awards. He was the first performer on September 11, 2002, at the site of the World Trade Center, while the first of the names of the dead were read on the first anniversary of the attack on the WTC; he played the Sarabande from Bach's Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor.{{cite book |last=Whiting |first=Jim |date=2008 |title=Yo-Yo Ma: A Biography |url=https://archive.org/details/yoyomabiography00whit |url-access=registration |quote=yo yo ma 9/11 first anniversary 2002. |location=Westport, CT |publisher=Greenwood Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/yoyomabiography00whit/page/147 147] |isbn=978-0-313-34486-2}} He performed a special arrangement of Sting's "Fragile" with Sting and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. He also appeared as a Pennington Great Performers series artist with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra in 2005.

He performed John Williams's Air and Simple Gifts at the first inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009, along with Itzhak Perlman (violin), Gabriela Montero (piano), and Anthony McGill (clarinet). While the quartet played live, the music, played simultaneously over speakers and on television, was a recording made two days prior due to concerns over the cold weather damaging the instruments. Ma said, "A broken string was not an option. It was wicked cold."[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/obama_inauguration/7846472.stm – Quartet pre-recorded Obama music]. BBC News (January 23, 2009). Retrieved on July 1, 2011.

On May 3, 2009, Ma performed the world premiere of Bruce Adolphe's "Self Comes to Mind" for solo cello and two percussionists with John Ferrari and Ayano Kataoka at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The work is based on a poetic description written for the composer of the evolution of brain into mind by neuroscientist Antonio Damasio. A film of brain scans provided by Hanna Damasio, and other images, were coordinated with the performance.

File:Yo-Yo Ma - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2008.jpg's annual meeting in 2008]]

On August 29, 2009, Ma performed at the funeral mass for Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Pieces he performed included the Sarabande movement from Bach's Cello Suite No. 6 in D major and Franck's "Panis angelicus" with Plácido Domingo.[http://www.thebostonchannel.com/politics/20607537/detail.html Kennedy Funeral Includes Family, Music, President] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901173250/http://www.thebostonchannel.com/politics/20607537/detail.html |date=September 1, 2009 }}. Thebostonchannel.com (August 28, 2009). Retrieved on July 1, 2011.

On October 3, 2009, Ma appeared with Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper at the National Arts Centre gala in Ottawa. Harper, a fan of The Beatles, played the piano and sang a rendition of "With a Little Help from My Friends" while Ma accompanied him on cello. On October 16, 2011, Ma performed at the memorial of Steve Jobs at Stanford University's Memorial Church.{{cite news | url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/10/17/steve-jobs%E2%80%99s-family-gave-moving-words-at-sunday-memorial/ | work=The Wall Street Journal | first=Jessica E. | last=Vascellaro | title=Steve Jobs's Family Gave Moving Words at Sunday Memorial | date=October 17, 2011 | url-status=dead | access-date=August 4, 2017 | archive-date=April 10, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410022201/https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/10/17/steve-jobs%E2%80%99s-family-gave-moving-words-at-sunday-memorial/ }}

In 2011, Ma performed with American dancer Charles "Lil Buck" Riley in the United States and in China at the U.S.-China Forum on the Arts and Culture.{{cite news | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-CJB-14683 |title = Watch Yo Yo Ma and Lil' Buck Perform 'The Swan' in Beijing |newspaper = The Wall Street Journal |last = Chin|first = Josh |date = November 21, 2011 |access-date = December 7, 2021}}

On April 18, 2013, he performed at an interfaith service to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, held at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, where he played the Sarabande from Bach's Cello Suite No. 5. He and other musicians also accompanied members of the Boston Children's Chorus in a hymn.{{cite web | url = http://www.wqxr.org/blogs/wqxr-blog/2013/apr/18/watch-cellist-yo-yo-ma-performs-boston-memorial-service/ | title = Watch: Cellist Yo-Yo Ma Performs at Boston Memorial Service | publisher = WQXR | last = Wise | first = Brian | date = April 18, 2013 | access-date = April 18, 2013 | archive-date = July 8, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130708085648/http://www.wqxr.org/blogs/wqxr-blog/2013/apr/18/watch-cellist-yo-yo-ma-performs-boston-memorial-service/ | url-status = dead }}

On September 9, 2015, Ma performed all six of Bach's cello suites at the Royal Albert Hall (London) as part of the BBC Proms season.

On September 12, 2017, Ma performed all six of Bach's cello suites at the Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles). After the first three suites, there was a "ten-minute pause" (as the Bowl video screen described it). The audience of around 17,000 also heard him play an encore, a tribute to "cellist Pablo Casals, who as a 13-year-old in 1890 discovered an old copy of the Bach suites in a secondhand music store, bringing them to modern attention. Ma's memorable last words were, "If there are any 13-year-olds here—don't throw anything away."{{cite news | url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-yo-yo-ma-bowl-review-20170914-story/ | title = Yo-Yo Ma does the impossible at the Hollywood Bowl |newspaper = The Los Angeles Times |last = Swed|first = Mark |date = September 13, 2017 |access-date = September 14, 2017}} {{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

On November 11, 2018, Ma performed at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, with violinist Renaud Capuçon, in front of a crowd of world leaders during a ceremony marking the centenary of the armistice that ended World War I.{{Cite web|last=|date=2018-11-12|title=Yo-Yo Ma and Renaud Capuçon mark Armistice with Ravel|url=https://www.thestrad.com/news/yo-yo-ma-and-renaud-capucon-mark-armistice-with-ravel/8350.article|access-date=2022-01-27|website=The Strad|language=en}}

File:Strings by Starlight.jpg, home of the Very Large Telescope{{cite web |title=Strings by Starlight |url=https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1920a/ |website=Eso.org |access-date=December 7, 2021 |language=en}}]]

On May 1, 2019, he performed at Paranal Observatory in the Atacama desert. He said that his interest in astronomy motivated him to visit and perform there.

On June 20, 2019, Ma performed Bach's Cello Suites at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. The free performance attracted what might have been his largest audience, with a pavilion capacity of 11,000, and many thousands more listening from surrounding Millennium Park.

On January 20, 2021, Ma's performance of "Amazing Grace"—pre-recorded due to the COVID-19 pandemic—was played during the inauguration of Joe Biden.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWZwuK8D4Js |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/vWZwuK8D4Js| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Yo-Yo Ma Amazing Grace Presidential Inauguration 2021|date=January 26, 2021 |publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/us-inauguration-yo-yo-ma-drops-by-inauguration-day-special-performs-stunning-rendition-of-amazing-grace-twitter-erupts/PNW3W2O7RYYAIXHVZQYVQE77YA/|title=US Inauguration: Yo Yo Ma drops by Inauguration Day special, performs stunning rendition of Amazing Grace, Twitter erupts|website=The New Zealand Herald |date=July 19, 2023 }} In March 2021, Ma played "Ave Maria" in an impromptu waiting room concert, after receiving his second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at Berkshire Community College in Massachusetts.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-56401138|title=World-famous cellist's impromptu vaccine centre concert|work=BBC News }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2021/mar/14/yo-yo-ma-plays-cello-vaccine-waiting-room-massachusetts-video|title=Yo-Yo Ma plays cello in vaccine waiting room in Massachusetts – video|date=March 14, 2021|website=Theguardian.com}}

On September 14, 2021, Ma again performed Bach's six cello suites at the Hollywood Bowl, this time without intermission, pausing only briefly for applause between suites, and to announce his dedications for two of them.

On December 7, 2024, on the Reopening of Notre-Dame in Paris, Ma performed the prelude of the First Cello Suite from Bach.{{Cite news|url= https://www.classicfm.com/artists/yo-yo-ma/bach-prelude-notre-dame/ |title=Yo-Yo Ma performs Bach's beautiful prelude in newly renovated Notre Dame cathedral|work=Classical FM}}

Ma appeared as himself in an episode ("My Music Rules") of the animated children's television series Arthur, and on The West Wing (the episode "Noël"), where he played the prelude to Bach's Cello Suite No.1 at a Congressional Christmas party. He made five appearances on Sesame Street, all of which first aired during the show's 17th season in 1986. He appeared in The Simpsons episode "Puffless", where he played a serenade and theme music. Ma's likeness appeared in another Simpsons episode, "Missionary: Impossible", but he was played by regular Simpsons cast member Hank Azaria rather than Ma himself. Ma appeared twice on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, developed a friendship with creator and host Fred Rogers, and later received the inaugural Fred Rogers Legacy Award.

He also starred in the visual accompaniment to his recordings of Bach's Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello.

Ma was often invited to press events by Apple Inc. and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs, performed during the company's major events, and appeared in a commercial for the Macintosh computer. Ma's Bach recordings were used in a memorial video released by Apple on the first anniversary of Jobs's death.{{Cite web|url=https://www.macstories.net/links/apples-tribute-to-steve-jobs-yo-yo-ma-and-the-prelude-from-bach/|title=Apple's Tribute To Steve Jobs, Yo-Yo Ma, And The Prelude From Bach|website=Macstories.net|date=October 5, 2012 |access-date=November 29, 2021}}

Ma was a guest on the "Not My Job" segment of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! on April 7, 2007, where he won for listener Thad Moore.[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9450562 Not My Job: Yo-Yo Ma]. NPR (April 7, 2007). Retrieved on July 1, 2011.

On October 27, 2008, Ma appeared as a guest and performer on The Colbert Report.{{cite web |title=Yo-Yo Ma - The Colbert Report |url=https://www.cc.com/video/fnuvdv/the-colbert-report-yo-yo-ma |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411162519/https://www.cc.com/video/fnuvdv/the-colbert-report-yo-yo-ma |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 11, 2021 |website=Comedy Central |access-date=December 7, 2021 |date=October 28, 2008}} He was also one of the show's guests on November 1, 2011, where he performed songs from the album The Goat Rodeo Sessions with musicians Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile.{{cite web |title=Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile - The Colbert Report |url=https://www.cc.com/video/yo2avl/the-colbert-report-yo-yo-ma-stuart-duncan-edgar-meyer-chris-thile |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625124457/https://www.cc.com/video/yo2avl/the-colbert-report-yo-yo-ma-stuart-duncan-edgar-meyer-chris-thile |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 25, 2021 |website=Comedy Central |access-date=December 7, 2021 |date=November 2, 2011}} He also performed several of Bach's cello suites for the 2012 film Bill W. On October 5, 2015, he appeared on Colbert's new program, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, in support of ballerina Misty Copeland, and prematurely celebrating his 60th birthday.

In August 2018, Ma appeared on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uiUHvET_jg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/3uiUHvET_jg| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Yo-Yo Ma: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert|date=August 24, 2018 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=June 20, 2020}}{{cbignore}}

On June 19, 2020, the same group of musicians who recorded The Goat Rodeo Sessions released a second album, Not Our First Goat Rodeo.

On September 1, 2020, the same group performed a virtual concert of some songs from Not Our First Goat Rodeo on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yiQbeB7Bk8&ab_channel=NPRMusic |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/-yiQbeB7Bk8| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert|date=September 2020 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=October 1, 2021}}{{cbignore}}

On June 13, 2021, Ma was the guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.{{Cite web|title=Desert Island Discs - Yo-Yo Ma, musician |publisher=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000wywd|website=bbc.co.uk|date=13 June 2021|access-date=18 June 2021|quote=“I'm still trying to get it right”}} His musical choices included "Tin Tin Deo" by the Oscar Peterson Trio and "Podmoskovnye Vechera – Moscow Nights" by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi. He selected as his book the 24 volumes of the Encyclopædia Britannica, and as his luxury item a Swiss Army knife. He revealed that his career in music felt like a "gift" after scoliosis threatened his ability to play in his 20s.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/leisure/national/19368976.yo-yo-ma-music-career-gift-following-scoliosis-treatment/|title=Yo-Yo Ma : My music career has been a gift following scoliosis treatment|website=Bradford Telegraph and Argus|date=June 13, 2021 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.hudsonvalleyscoliosis.com/celebrities-scoliosis/yo-yo-ma-scoliosis/|title=Yo-Yo Ma's Scoliosis Story|date=May 4, 2013|website=Strauss Scoliosis Correction}}

In 2022, Ma made a cameo appearance as himself in the Netflix film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.{{Cite magazine |last=Lee Lenker |first=Maureen |date=November 25, 2022 |title=Angela Lansbury filmed her Glass Onion role on a laptop: Inside all the Knives Out 2 cameos |url=https://ew.com/movies/glass-onion-knives-out-cameos-stephen-sondheim-angela-lansbury-more/ |access-date=November 25, 2022 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}

Since 1978, Ma has been married to Jill Hornor, an arts consultant.{{citation|title=Weddings and Celebrations: Emily Ma and John Mistovich|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 28, 2014 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/28/fashion/weddings/emily-ma-and-john-mistovich.html?_r=0|access-date=February 13, 2016|url-access=subscription}} They have two children, Nicholas and Emily.{{citation | last=Bell | first=Bill | title=Suite Sounds of Yo-yo Ma | newspaper=The New York Daily News | date=March 29, 1998 | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/nydn-features/suite-sounds-yo-yo-ma-article-1.786769 | access-date=January 23, 2012}} Although he personally considers it the "worst epithet he's ever faced," he was "tagged" in 2001 as "Sexiest Classical Musician" by People.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/yo-yo-ma-sexiest-classical-musician-vol-56-no-22/|title=Yo-Yo Ma: Sexiest Classical Musician|work=Volume 56|publisher=People Magazine|page=93|access-date=December 7, 2021}} He has continued to receive such accolades over the years, including from AARP in 2012, when Ma was named one of the "21 sexiest men over 50".{{Cite web|url=http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/style-trends/info-04-2012/sexiest-men-over-50.html|title=AARP's 21 Sexiest Men Over 50 - Washington, Pitt, Smits|first=Christina|last=Ianzito|website=Aarp.org|access-date=June 20, 2020}}

According to research presented by Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. for the PBS series Faces of America, a relative hid the Ma family genealogy in his home in China to save it from destruction during the Cultural Revolution. Ma's paternal ancestry can be traced back 18 generations to the year 1217. The genealogy was compiled in the 18th century by an ancestor, tracing everyone with the surname Ma, through the paternal line, back to one common ancestor in the 3rd century BC. Ma's generation name, Yo, was decided by his fourth great grand-uncle, Ma Ji Cang, in 1755.[https://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/profiles/yo-yo-ma/7/ "Faces of America: Yo-Yo Ma"], PBS, Faces of America series, with Henry Louis Gates Jr., 2010.[https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-mystery-of-yo-yo-mas-name "The Mystery of Yo-Yo Ma's Name"], Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The Daily Beast, February 9, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2021 DNA research revealed that Ma is distantly related to actress Eva Longoria.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/movies_tv/article_f7f6a7d1-41bd-597a-8275-dbffb087875a.html|title=Eva Longoria and Yo-Yo Ma cousins? Genetics researcher's PBS special looks at the tiny building blocks behind some really big names|author=Dave Walker|website=Nola.com|date=February 10, 2010 |access-date=November 29, 2021}}

Aside from English, Ma is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and French.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJG9PgSPnKQ | title=歐陽娜娜 對話 馬友友 - Nana Ou-Yang & Yo-Yo Ma - 2021 Youth Music Culture Guangdong | website=YouTube | date=January 30, 2021 }}{{cite web |first1=Richard|last1=Covington|date=June 2002| url= https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/yo-yo-mas-other-passion-63898487/ | title= Yo-Yo Ma's Other Passion | website= Smithsonian Magazine }}

{{further|Yo-Yo Ma discography}}

Ma's albums include recordings of cello concertos, sonatas for cello and piano, works for solo cello, and a variety of chamber music. He has also recorded in non-classical styles, notably in collaboration with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Carlos Santana, Chris Botti, Chris Thile, Diana Krall, James Taylor, Miley Cyrus and Sting.{{Cite web|url=https://www.axs.com/uk/santana-covers-the-beatles-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps-13488|title=Concert tickets, sports tickets, family shows, tour dates and event calendars at top venues around the world |website=Axs.com|access-date=June 20, 2020}}{{cite news|last1=Kupferberg|first1=Harold|title=Odd Couple|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19920405&id=UlhPAAAAIBAJ&pg=4028,1515527|access-date=February 18, 2015|work=Parade Magazine|date=April 5, 1992}}

;Grammy Award

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance:

• 1986: Brahms: Cello and Piano Sonatas in E Minor Op. 38, and F Op. 99
• 1987: Beethoven: Cello and Piano Sonata No. 4 in C & Variations
• 1992: Brahms: Piano Quartets Op. 25, Op. 26
• 1993: Brahms: Sonatas for Cello & Piano
• 1996: Brahms/Beethoven/Mozart: Clarinet Trios

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance:

• 1990: Barber: Cello Concerto, Op. 22/Britten: Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68
• 1993: Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante/Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme
• 1995: The New York Album – Works of Albert, Bartók & Bloch
• 1998: Yo-Yo Ma Premieres – Danielpour, Kirchner, Rouse

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance:

• 1985: Bach: The Unaccompanied Cello Suites

Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition:

• 1995: The New York Album, Stephen Albert: Cello Concerto

Grammy Award for Best Classical Album:

• 1998: Yo-Yo Ma Premieres – Danielpour, Kirchner, Rouse

Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album:

• 1999: Soul of the Tango – The Music of Astor Piazzolla
• 2001: Appalachian Journey
• 2004: Obrigado Brazil
• 2009: Songs of Joy & Peace

Grammy Award for Best Folk Album:

• 2012: The Goat Rodeo Sessions w/ Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile

Grammy Award for Best World Music Album:

• 2017: Sing Me Home – Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance:

• 2022: Beethoven: Cello Sonatas - Hope and Tears – Yo-Yo Ma & Emanuel Ax

• 1991: Honorary Doctor of Music, Harvard University{{Cite web |last=Herald |first=University |date=2016-08-24 |title=Yo-Yo Ma, The Child Prodigy Was A Harvard Graduate |url=https://www.universityherald.com/articles/38339/20160824/yo-ma-child-prodigy-harvard-graduate.htm |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=University Herald |language=en}}
• 2005: Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts, Princeton University
• 2019: Honorary Doctor of Music, University of Oxford{{cite web |title=Honorary degree recipients for 2019 announced |date=March 25, 2019 |url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-03-25-honorary-degree-recipients-2019-announced |access-date=June 26, 2019 |publisher=The University of Oxford}}
• 2019: Honorary Doctor of Arts, Dartmouth College{{cite web |date=June 7, 2019 |title=Yo-Yo Ma (Doctor of Arts) |url=https://news.dartmouth.edu/news/2019/06/yo-yo-ma-doctor-arts |access-date=July 1, 2019 |publisher=Dartmouth College}}
• 2021: Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, Mount Holyoke College{{Cite web |date=2021-05-23 |title=Congratulations, Class of 2021! {{!}} Mount Holyoke College |url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/news/news-stories/congratulations-class-2021 |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=Mtholyoke.edu |language=en}}
• 2022: Honorary Doctor of Music, Stony Brook University{{Cite web |date=2022-03-14 |title=Cellist Yo-Yo Ma Receives Honorary Doctorate in Music from Stony Brook University {{!}} |url=https://news.stonybrook.edu/university/yo-yo-ma-receives-honorary-doctorate-in-music-prior-to-staller-center-gala/ |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=SBU News |language=en-US}}
• 2022: Honorary Doctor of Music, Columbia University{{Cite web |date=2022-04-15 |title=Columbia's 2022 Honorary Degree Recipients Announced {{!}} |url=https://news.columbia.edu/news/columbias-2022-honorary-degree-recipients-announced#:~:text=On%20May%2018%2C%202022%2C%20Columbia,the%20University%20Medal%20for%20Excellence. |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=Columbia University in the City of New York |language=en-US}}

;Others

• 1978: Avery Fisher Prize
• 1993: Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences{{Cite web|title=Yo-Yo Ma|url=https://www.amacad.org/person/yo-yo-ma|access-date=2021-12-01|website=American Academy of Arts & Sciences|language=en}}
• 1999: The Glenn Gould Prize
• 1999: Member of the American Philosophical Society{{Cite web|title=APS Member History|url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=Yo-Yo+Ma&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced|access-date=2021-12-01|website=search.amphilsoc.org}}
• 2001: National Medal of Arts
• 2004: Harvard Arts Medal{{cite web |title=History of the Harvard Arts Medal |url=https://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/harvard-arts-medal |publisher=Harvard University Office for the Arts |access-date=February 23, 2019}}
• 2004: Latin Grammy for Best Instrumental Album at the Latin Grammy Awards for Obrigado Brazil
• 2006: Dan David Prize
• 2006: Léonie Sonning Music Prize
• 2011: Kennedy Center Honor{{Cite web|url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/m/ma-mn/yo-yo-ma/|title=Yo-Yo Ma|website=Kennedy-center.org|access-date=January 13, 2023}}
• 2011: Presidential Medal of Freedom[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/02/15/watch-live-president-obama-honors-presidential-medal-freedom-recipients Watch Live: President Obama Honors Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients | The White House]. Whitehouse.gov. Retrieved on July 1, 2011.
• 2012: Polar Music Prize
• 2012: Songlines Music Awards - Best Cross-Cultural Collaboration for The Goat Rodeo Sessions
• 2013: Gramophone Hall of Fame inductee
• 2013: Vilcek Prize in Contemporary Music{{cite web|title = Yo-Yo Ma Awarded $100,000 Vilcek Prize|url = http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/yo-yo-ma-awarded-100000-vilcek-prize/|website = NewMusicBox|date = February 5, 2013|access-date = November 11, 2015}}
• 2014: Fred Rogers Legacy Award - Inaugural Recipient. Upon reception of the award, Ma stated, "This is perhaps the greatest honor I've ever received."
• 2016: Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters{{Cite web|url=http://www.france-phaleristique.com/oal_promo_10-02-2016.htm|title=Ordre des Arts et des Lettres - Nominations et promotions du 10-02-2016|website=France-phaleristique.com|access-date=January 13, 2023}}
• 2020: Asia Game Changer Award from the Asia Society{{cite web|url=https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2020/09/17/asia-game-changer-award-for-ny-based-celebrity-chef-visas-khanna-442448/|title=Asia Game Changer award for NY based celebrity chef Vikas Khanna|last=Kumar|first=Arun|date=September 17, 2020|work=The American Bazaar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923044156/https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2020/09/17/asia-game-changer-award-for-ny-based-celebrity-chef-visas-khanna-442448/|archive-date=September 23, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=October 28, 2020}}
• 2021: Praemium Imperiale[https://www.praemiumimperiale.org/en/laureate-en/laureates-en/content/2021-en Praemium Imperiale 2021] Praemiumimperiale.org Accessed September 5, 2022
• 2022: Birgit Nilsson Prize{{Cite web|url=https://limelightmagazine.com.au/news/yo-yo-ma-receives-the-2022-birgit-nilsson-prize/|title=Yo-Yo Ma receives the 2022 Birgit Nilsson Prize|website=Limelightmagazine.com.au|access-date=January 13, 2023}}
• 2024: Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestrad.com/news/yo-yo-ma-awarded-the-royal-philharmonic-society-gold-medal/18861.article|title=Yo-Yo Ma awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal|website=The Strad|access-date=January 30, 2025}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{commons|Yo-Yo Ma}}

• {{Wikiquote-inline|Yo-Yo Ma}}
• {{Official website|http://www.yo-yoma.com/}}
• [https://www.sonyclassical.de/kuenstler/artist-products/yo-yo-ma Yo-Yo Ma] at Sony Classical
• [http://whatgear.com/artist/yo-yo-ma Yo-Yo Ma's gear] at Gearboard
• {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=q37892}}
• {{C-SPAN|15981}}
• {{Discogs artist|Yo-Yo Ma}}
• {{YouTube|id=dNvAUobb1y4|title=Leonard Bernstein presents 7-year-old Yo-Yo Ma's high-profile debut for President John F. Kennedy.}}. Duration: 8 min 01 sec. Yo-Yo Ma, violoncello, and his sister Yeou-Cheng Ma, piano, perform the First movement of Concertino No. 3 in A major by Jean-Baptiste Bréval (1753-1823) on 29 November 1962. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
• {{cite web |url= https://www.discogs.com/artist/276145-Yo-Yo-Ma |title=Yo-Yo Ma Real Name: 馬友友 - Mǎ Yǒuyǒu. [Yo-Yo Ma discography with 216 entries] |date=2023 |publisher=Discogs |website=discogs.com |access-date=10 April 2023}}
• {{cite web |url= https://www.discogs.com/Santana-Guitar-Heaven-The-Greatest-Guitar-Classics-Of-All-Time/release/3052583 |title= Santana - Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics Of All Time |date= 2010 |publisher= Discogs |website=discogs.com |access-date=10 April 2023}} Entry: CD04 While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Featuring – India.Arie, Yo-Yo Ma.

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