Yo Yo Ma Tickets

About Yo Yo Ma

'Yo-Yo Ma' was born in Paris, France to parents of Chinese origin. His father Hiao-Tsiun Ma was himself a renowned conductor and composer and this was the primary reason that 'Yo-Yo Ma' had a very musical upbringing. When 'Yo- Yo Ma' was only four years old, his family shifted from Paris to New York. Ma was a child prodigy in Music.

By the age of four years he had already started studying the instruments violin and viola, before finally taking up the cello in the year 1960. By the age of 5 years, Ma had already staged many shows and concerts and at the tender age of seven years, he had even performed for the then American President John F. Kennedy. He was a part of a concert conducted by the legendary 'Leonard Bernstein' when he was only eight years old.

Ma had already graduated from the 'Trinity School of Music' when he was just fifteen years old. He then went on to study at the ' Juilliard School of Music' and also attended 'Columbia University' before he got himself enrolled at 'Harvard University', from where he received a bachelor's degree and also an honorary doctorate, in the years 1976 and 1991 respectively.

By this time, Ma had already achieved the fame and status that people many times his age longed for. He had performed with most of the world's major orchestras and particularly, his recordings and performances of the 'Johann Sebastian Bach: Cello Suites', recorded in the year 1983, bought him a lot of fame. Ma has also played a lot of chamber music, mostly with his long time friend, the pianist 'Emanuel Ax'. Ma currently plays with his own non-profit organization, named the 'Silk Road Ensemble'. The primary goal of this organization is to bring together talented musicians from different countries.

'Yo- Yo Ma's primary performance instrument is the Petunia, a cello made by the legendary 'Domenico Montagnana' in the year 1733. This cello is more than 270 years old and is valued at over two million dollars. The instrument has an interesting story to tell. In the fall of 1999, Ma had accidentally lost the instrument when he forgot it in a taxicab in New York City. Fortunately, it was later recovered undamaged. Occasionally, Ma uses another cello named the 'Davidov Stradivarius' The legendary pianist ‘Jacqueline du Pré’, who passed it on to him upon her death, formerly owned this instrument. 'Yo- Yo Ma' has also featured in the soundtracks of many popular films, such as ' Seven Years in Tibet', 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and ' Memoirs of a Geisha'.

Over the years, 'Yo- Yo Ma' has released over seventy-five albums and has won fifteen Grammy Awards. He is also a recipient of the 'Award of Excellence' from 'The International Center' in New York'. Ma's musical contributions cannot be measured or compared to any other contemporary. He is undoubtedly not only one of the most talented cellists but also one of the best musicians of all times. We are indeed fortunate to witness a musical genius such as him.