Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7th, 1955) is a French-American cellist. He was born in Paris to Chinese parents, and grew up in New York City.
Ma was a child prodigy, and began performing with his instrument at the age of five. He’s now arguably the most famous cello player on the planet. He first appeared on American television at the age of eight, and went onto graduate from both the prestigious Juilliard School - one of the world’s most prestigious music schools - and, later, Harvard University. over the course of a sparkling career, he’s recorded no fewer than seventy-five albums, and has garnered fifteen Grammy Awards in that time, too.
Ma has been involved with several high-profile film soundtracks, too, including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Seven Years in Tibet and Once Upon a Time in America. He performed ‘Air and Simple Gifts’, a John Williams composition, at the inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama in January 2009, cementing his status of something of a national institution in America, in musical terms. He was a friend of the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and would often perform at press events for the tech company at Jobs’ request. He continues to have a huge influence on American culture, and won the inaugural Fred Rogers Legacy Award in 2014, which he called “perhaps the greatest honor I’ve ever received.”
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