Yo-Yo Ma

Yo Yo Ma

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Yo-Yo Ma

This is an Anglicized
Anglicisation

Anglicisation or anglicization is a process of conversion of verbal or written elements of any other language into a more comprehensible English language for an English speaker....
version of the Chinese name
Chinese name

Personal names in Culture of China follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John"....
"Ma Yo-yo"; the family name
Chinese surname

Chinese family name is one of the hundreds or thousands of family names that have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicization List of Chinese ethnic groups in mainland China, Taiwan, and among overseas Chinese communities....
is "Ma
Ma (surname)

Ma is one of the most common Chinese family names. As of 2006, it ranks as the 14th most common Chinese surname in Mainland China and the most common surname within the Chinese Muslim community....
".

Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French

France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
-born Chinese-American virtuoso

Virtuoso

A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa....
cellist

List of cellists

A person who plays the cello is called a cellist. Notable cellists include:...
and composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
and winner of multiple Grammy Award

Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
s. He is one of the most revered cello players of the 20th and 21st centuries. He is also a highly accomplished musician on the piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
, viola

Viola

The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.The casual observer may mistake the viola for the violin because of their similarity in size, closeness in pitch range , and nearly identical playing position....
, and violin

Violin

The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
.
o Ma was born in Paris

Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
to Chinese

Overseas Chinese

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Encyclopedia

Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French

France

Virtuoso

List of cellists

A person who plays the cello is called a cellist. Notable cellists include:...
and composer

Composer

Grammy Award

Piano

Viola

Violin

Biography

Yo-Yo Ma was born in Paris

Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
to Chinese

Overseas Chinese

Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese people birth or descent who live outside the territories administered by the rival governments of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China ....
parents and had a musical upbringing. His mother, Marina Lu, was a singer, and his father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma, was a professor of music. His family moved to New York

New York City

Violin

Viola

Cello

The violoncello is a bowed string instrument. A person who plays a cello is called a cellist. The cello is used as a solo instrument, in chamber music, and as a member of the string section of an orchestra....
in 1960 at age four. The child prodigy

Child prodigy

A child prodigy is someone who at an early age masters one or more skills at an adult level. One heuristic for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 13 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding field of endeavor....
began performing before audiences at age five, and performed for President John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1961 until John F....
when he was seven. At age eight, he appeared on American television in a concert conducted by Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein was a multi-Emmy-winning and Academy Award for Original Music Score nominated American Conductor , composer, author, music lecturer and Piano....
. By fifteen years of age, Ma had graduated from Trinity School in New York and appeared as a soloist with the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra

Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra

The Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra is a college orchestra comprised of Harvard University students and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts....
in a performance of the Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations
Variations on a Rococo Theme

The Variations on a Rococo theme for violoncello and orchestra was the closest Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ever came to writing a full concerto for cello and orchestra....
.

Ma studied at the Juilliard School of Music

Juilliard School

The Juilliard School, located on the Upper West Side in New York City, is a performing arts music school. It is informally identified as simply Juilliard, and trains in dance, drama, and music....
with Leonard Rose

Leonard Rose

Leonard Rose was a great American cellist, considered one of the most important pedagogues of the 20th century.Rose's parents emigrated from Kiev, Ukraine and Leonard was born in Washington, D.C.....
and attended Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City....
before ultimately enrolling at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the Colonial Colleges institution of higher learning in the United States....
. But, at some point, he began questioning if he should continue his studies, that is until he was inspired by Pablo Casals

Pablo Casals

Pau Casals i Defill? , best known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spain Catalan people cellist and later conductor....
's performances in the seventies.

However, even before that time, he had steadily gained fame and had performed with most of the world's major orchestras. His recordings and performances of the Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organ whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque music period and brought it to its ultimate maturity....
: Cello Suites
Cello Suites (Bach)

The Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello by Johann Sebastian Bach are acclaimed as some of the greatest works ever written for solo cello and some of the greatest of all music....
recorded in 1983 and again in 1994-1997 are particularly acclaimed. He has also played a good deal of chamber music

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber....
, often with the pianist Emanuel Ax

Emanuel Ax

Emanuel Ax is a Grammy award-winning United States-Jewish classical pianist. He is currently a teacher on the faculty of the Juilliard School. ...
, with whom he has a close friendship back from their days together at the Juilliard School of Music in New York.

He received his bachelor's degree

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years....
from Harvard in 1976. In 1991, he received an honorary doctorate from Harvard.

He is married to Jill Horner, a German Language professor.

Career

Ma married his long-time girlfriend Jill Hornor in 1977 and has two children, Nicholas and Emily. They currently reside in Belmont, Massachusetts

Belmont, Massachusetts

Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The population was 24,194 at the 2000 census....
. Ma's elder sister, Yeou-Cheng Ma, who was also born in Paris, is a violinist married to Michael Dadap

Michael Dadap

Michael Dadap is a popular Filipino people guitarist, composer, and Conductor , and an influential advocate of Filipino folk music. He was influential in the creation of a world-class Music of the Philippines#Rondalla ensemble in the United States is also the founding music director of the Iskwelahang Rondalla of Boston, Massachusetts....
, a New York-based guitarist from the Philippines. Together they currently run the Children's Orchestra Society

Children's Orchestra Society

The Children's Orchestra Society is a non-profit organization in New York City founded by Dr. Hiao Tsiun Ma for musically talented children and teens....
in Manhasset, Long Island, New York.

Ma currently plays with his own Silk Road Ensemble

Silk Road Project

Silk Road Project, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization, initiated by acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 1998, promoting collaboration among artists and institutions, promoting multicultural artistic exchange, and studying the ebb and flow of ideas among different cultures along the Silk Road....
, which has the goal of bringing together musicians from diverse countries all of which are historically linked via the Silk Road

Silk Road

The Silk Road is an extensive interconnected network of trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean world, including North Africa and Europe....
, and records on the Sony Classical label.Ma's primary performance instrument is the Domenico Montagnana
Domenico Montagnana

Domenico Montagnana was an Italian Master luthier based in Venice, Italy. He is regarded as one of the world's finest violin and cello makers of his time....
1733 cello built in Venice and nicknamed Petunia. This cello, more than 270 years old and valued at US$2.5 million, was lost in the fall of 1999 when Ma accidentally left the instrument in a taxicab in New York City

New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
. It was later recovered undamaged. Another of Ma's cellos, the Davidov Stradivarius
Davidov Stradivarius

File:Jacquelinedupredavidoff.jpgThe Davidov Stradivarius , is an antique cello fabricated in 1712 by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona....
, was previously owned by Jacqueline du Pré

Jacqueline du Pré

Jacqueline Mary du Pr? Order of the British Empire was an English cello, acknowledged as one of the greatest exponents of the instrument. She is particularly associated with Edward Elgar Cello Concerto ; her interpretation of this work has been described as "definitive" and "legendary"....
who passed it to him upon her death, and owned by the Vuitton Foundation. Though Du Pré previously voiced her frustration with the "unpredictability" of this cello, Ma attributed the comment to du Pré's impassioned style of playing, adding that the Stradivarius cello must be "coaxed" by the player. It was until recently set up in a Baroque manner

Historically informed performance

Historically informed performance is an approach, or movement, in the performance of classical music. Members of this movement usually play on #Early instrumentss, and utilise historical treatises, as well as additional historical evidence, to gain insight into performance practice ....
, since Ma exclusively played Baroque music

Baroque music

Baroque music describes a period or style of European classical music approximately extending from Dates of classical music eras. This era is said to begin in music after the Renaissance music and was followed by the Classical music era....
on it. He also owns a cello made of carbon fiber

Carbon fiber

Carbon fiber or is a material consisting of extremely thin fibers about 0.005?0.010 mm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in microscopic crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber....
by the Luis and Clark company of Boston.

In 1997 he was featured on John Williams' soundtrack to the Hollywood film, Seven Years in Tibet
Seven Years in Tibet (1997 film)

Seven Years in Tibet is a 1997 in film film based on Seven Years in Tibet written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer based on his experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during the Second World War, the interim period, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army moving into Tibet in 1950....
. In 2000, he was heard on the soundtrack of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a Chinese-language film in the wuxia style, released in 2000. A China-Hong Kong-Taiwan-United States coproduction , the film was directed by Ang Lee and featured an international cast of Zhonghua minzu actors, including Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi and Chang Chen....
. He collaborated with Williams again on the original score for the 2005 film Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha (film)

Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of Memoirs of a Geisha, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and directed by Rob Marshall....
. Yo-Yo Ma has also worked with world-renowned Italian composer Ennio Morricone

Ennio Morricone

Ennio Morricone, Italian orders of merit#Order of Merit of the Republic is an acclaimed List of Italian composers Academy Award-winning composer....
and has recorded Morricone's compositions of the Dollars Trilogy

Dollars Trilogy

The Dollars Trilogy , also known as The Man with No Name Trilogy, refers to the three Italian cinema Spaghetti Westerns starring Clint Eastwood and directed by Sergio Leone:...
including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a 1966 in film Cinema of Italy epic Western spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in the title roles....
. He also has over 75 albums, 15 of which are Grammy Award winners. Ma is a recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.

Playing style

Ma has been referred to as "omnivorous" by critics, and possesses a more eclectic repertoire than is typical for classical musicians. A sampling of his versatility in addition to numerous recordings of the standard classical repertoire would include his recordings of Baroque

Baroque

In the the arts, the Baroque was a Western cultural Epoch , starting roughly at the beginning of the 17th century in Rome, Italy. It was exemplified by drama and grandeur in Baroque sculpture, Baroque painting, literature, Baroque dance, and Baroque music....
pieces using period instruments; American bluegrass music

Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has its own roots in Folk music of Ireland, Music of Scotland, Music of Wales and Folk Music of England traditional music....
; traditional Chinese melodies

Music of China

The music of China dates back to the dawn of Chinese civilization with documents and artifacts providing evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty ....
including the soundtrack to the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon; the tangos

Tango music

Tango is a style of music that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay. It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta t?pica, which includes two violins, piano, doublebass, and two bandoneons....
of Argentinian composer Ástor Piazzolla

Ástor Piazzolla

?stor Pantale?n Piazzolla was an Argentina tango music composer and bandone?n player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and European classical music....
; an eclectic and unusual collaboration with Bobby McFerrin

Bobby McFerrin

Robert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is a ten-time Grammy Award-winning jazz-influenced a cappella vocal performer and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy"....
(where Ma admits to being terrified of the improvisation McFerrin pushes him toward); as well as the music of modern minimalist

Minimalism

Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and Minimalist music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features....
Philip Glass

Philip Glass

Philip Glass is an American music composer. He is considered one of the most influential composers of the late-20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public ....
in such works as the 2002 piece, Naqoyqatsi
Naqoyqatsi

Naqoyqatsi: Life as war is a documentary film released in 2002; it is the third and final film of the Qatsi trilogy by Godfrey Reggio. The film focuses on society's transition from a natural environment to a technology-based industrial environment....
. In 2006, a soundtrack album was released of the music from the 2005 film, Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha (film)

Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of Memoirs of a Geisha, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and directed by Rob Marshall....
. He is known for his smooth, rich tone as well as his considerable virtuosity, including a cello recording of Niccolò Paganini

Niccolò Paganini

Niccol? Paganini was an Italy violinist, viola, classical guitar, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique....
's 24th Caprice

24th Caprice

Caprice No. 24 in A minor is the final Capriccio of Niccol? Paganini's Paganini Caprices, and a famous work for solo violin. The work, in the key of A minor, consists of a theme , 11 variation , and a finale....
for solo violin, Zoltán Kodály

Zoltán Kodály

Zolt?n Kod?ly ; December 16, 1882 – March 6, 1967) was a Hungary composer, ethnomusicologist, education, linguistics, and philosophy....
's cello sonata

Cello sonata

A cello sonata usually denotes a sonata written for cello and piano, though other instrumentations are used, such as solo cello. The most famous Romantic music cellos sonatas are those written by Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven....
, and other demanding works.

Appearances

Ma has appeared in an episode of the animated children's television series, Arthur (though D.W. kept calling him "Yo Ma-Ma"), as well as on The West Wing (episode "Noël

Noël (The West Wing)

"No?l" is the 32nd episode of The West Wing ....
", in which he performed the prelude to the Bach Cello Suite No.1 at a Christmas dinner at the White House), Sesame Street
Sesame Street

Sesame Street is an Television in the United States educational children's television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both edutainment....
and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood or Mister Rogers is an United States children's television series that was created and hosted by Fred Rogers....
, along with an appearance on "American Dad!

American Dad!

American Dad! is a satire United States list of animated television series produced by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions for 20th Century Fox Television....
" in episode 4 of season 4. In The Simpsons
The Simpsons

The Simpsons is an Television in the United States animated cartoon Situation comedy created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company....
episode "Missionary: Impossible

Missionary: Impossible

"Missionary: Impossible" is the fifteenth episode of the The Simpsons of The Simpsons, which originally aired February 20, 2000.Plot...
," Ma runs after Homer Simpson

Homer Simpson

Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and father of the Simpson family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show The Simpsons shorts "Good Night " on April 19, 1987....
along with many other frequent guests of PBS. His name is also mentioned in an episode of "The Suite Life Of Zack and Cody

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan and originally aired Disney Channel. The series premiered on March 18, 2005 with 4 million viewers, making it the most successful premiere for Disney Channel in 2005....
." Ma performed a duet with Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice was the 66th United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President of the United States George W....
at the presentation of the 2001 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal Awards. He also starred in the visual accompaniment to his recordings of the Bach: Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. Ma has also been seen with Apple Computer

Apple Computer

Apple Inc., formerly Apple Computer Inc., is an United States multinational corporation which designs and manufactures consumer electronics and software products....
and former Pixar

Pixar

Pixar Animation Studios is a CGI animation production company based in Emeryville, California, United States. To date, the studio has earned twenty-two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, and three Grammy, among many other awards, acknowledgments and achievements....
CEO Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs

Steven Paul Jobs is an United States businessman and co-founder, Chairman, and Chief executive officer of Apple Inc.. Jobs is the former CEO of Pixar Animation Studios....
. Ma is often invited to press events for Jobs's companies, and has performed on stage during event keynote presentations, as well as appearing in a commercial for the Macintosh

Macintosh

File:Imac alu.pngMacintosh, commonly shortened to Mac, is a brand name which covers several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc....
computer. Ma 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 in remembrance on the first anniversary of the attack on the WTC. He played the Sarabande movement from Bach's Suite in C minor (#5). He performed a special arrangement of Sting's "Fragile" with Sting and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a 360 member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to support the organization....
during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics

2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States....
in Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah

The State of Utah is a western United States U.S. state of the United States. It was the List of U.S. states by date of statehood admitted to the United States on January 4, 1896....
. Ma was named Peace Ambassador by United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
then Secretary-General Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan

Kofi Atta Annan, Order of St Michael and St George is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh United Nations Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1 January 1997 to 1 January 2007....
in January 2006. Ma was a guest on the Not My Job segment of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Wait Wait? Don't Tell Me! is an hour-long weekly radio news quiz game show produced by Chicago Public Radio and National Public Radio. It is distributed by NPR in the United States and on the Internet via podcast, and typically broadcast on weekends by member stations....
on April 7, 2007, where he won for listener Thad Moore. He was occasionally referenced in Seinfeld

Seinfeld

Seinfeld is an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning Television in the United States Situation comedy that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in Broadcast syndication....
. Cosmo Kramer

Cosmo Kramer

Cosmo Kramer is a character on the American Television program Situation comedy Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards. The character is loosely based on comedian Kenny Kramer, Larry David's former neighbor....
would involuntarily exclaim "Yo Yo Ma!" at random intervals after being kicked in the head. On October 27, 2008, Ma appeared as a guest and performer on The Colbert Report

The Colbert Report

The Colbert Report is a Peabody Award- and Emmy Award-winning American news satire television program that airs from 11:30 p.m. to 12:00 midnight Eastern Time Zone each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States and on both The Comedy Network and CTV Television Network in Canada....
. Yo Yo is mentioned in Richard Linklater's 2003 film School of Rock
School of Rock

School of Rock is a 2003 in film Cinema of the United States comedy film from Paramount Pictures, starring Jack Black . The film was written specifically for Black by Mike White and directed by Richard Linklater....
, starring Jack Black

Jack Black

Jack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo...
and written by Mike White.

He performed John Williams

John Williams

John Towner Williams is an United States composer, conducting and pianist. In a career that spans six decades, Williams has composed many of the most famous film scores in Hollywood history, including Star Wars music, Superman music, Born on the Fourth of July , Harry Potter music and all but two of Steven Spielberg's feature fil...
' "Air and Simple Gifts

Air and Simple Gifts

Air and Simple Gifts is a classical music quartet arranged by United States composer John Williams for the January 20, 2009, Barack Obama 2009 presidential inauguration as President of the United States....
" at the inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the List of Presidents of the United States and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office....
on January 20, 2009 along with Itzhak Perlman

Itzhak Perlman

Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-United States of America violin virtuoso, conducting, and teacher....
(violin), Gabriela Montero

Gabriela Montero

Gabriela Montero is a Venezuelan pianist.Montero gave her first public performance at the age of five. At age eight, she made her concert debut with the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra, conducted by Jos? Antonio Abreu and was granted a scholarship from the Venezuelan government to study in the USA....
(piano) and Anthony McGill

Anthony McGill

File:Inauguration performance of Air and Simple Gifts.jpgAnthony McGill is the principal clarinetist for the Metropolitan Opera. McGill is originally from Chicago, Illinois, growing up in the city's Chatham neighborhood....
(clarinet). While the quartet did play 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 was quoted as saying "A broken string was not an option. It was wicked cold."

Discography

Awards and recognitions

Avery Fisher Prize
Avery Fisher Prize

The Avery Fisher Prize is an award given to American musicians for outstanding achievement in classical music. Founded by philanthropist Avery Fisher in 1974, it is regarded as one of the most significant awards for American instrumentalists....

1978

Dan David Prize
Dan David Prize

The Dan David Prize is an annual award of $1 million each to three individuals who have made an outstanding contribution in the fields of science, technology, culture or social welfare....

2006

Award of Distinction (International Cello Festival)

2007

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance

The Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance has been awarded since 1959. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1959 to 1960 the award was known as Best Classical Performance - Chamber Music ...
:

1996
Grammy Awards of 1996

The 38th Grammy Awards were held on February 28, 1996. The awards recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. The highest number of nominations in this year's awards was six each to Alanis Morissette and Mariah Carey, but although first-time nominee Alanis won four out her six nominations, Mariah, considered by many to be...
Brahms
Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms , composer and pianist, was one of the leading musicians of the Romantic music. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene....
/Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical music era and Romantic music eras in classical music, and remains one of the most acclaimed and influential composers of all time....
/Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood in Salzburg. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty; at seventeen he was engaged as a court musician in Salzburg, but grew restless and traveled in search of a better position, always...
: Clarinet Trios (Sony 57499)
1993
Grammy Awards of 1993

The 35th Grammy Awards were held in 1993. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Eric Clapton was the nights big winner winning 6 awards....
Brahms
Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms , composer and pianist, was one of the leading musicians of the Romantic music. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene....
: Sonatas for Cello & Piano (Sony 48191)
1992
Grammy Awards of 1992

The 34th Grammy Awards were held on February 26, 1992. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year . This ceremony was unique because something happened that rarely, if ever, does at the Grammies ? a tie....
Brahms
Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms , composer and pianist, was one of the leading musicians of the Romantic music. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene....
: Piano Quartets Op. 25, Op. 26) (Sony 45846)
1987
Grammy Awards of 1987

The 29th Grammy Awards were held in 1987. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.__FORCETOC__...
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical music era and Romantic music eras in classical music, and remains one of the most acclaimed and influential composers of all time....
: Cello and Piano Sonata No. 4 in C & Variations (CBS 42121)
1986
Grammy Awards of 1986

The 28th Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1986. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year, 1985 in music....
Brahms
Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms , composer and pianist, was one of the leading musicians of the Romantic music. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene....
: Cello and Piano Sonatas in E Minor Op. 38, and F Op. 99 (RCA 17022)

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)

The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance has been awarded since 1959. From 1967 to 1971 and in 1987 the award was combined with the award for Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance and awarded as the Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists ....
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1998
Grammy Awards of 1998

The 40th Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1998. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.Unlike many Grammy award ceremonies, which are often criticized for being too boring, the 1998 Grammys had several memorable and shocking moments....
Yo-Yo Ma Premieres - Danielpour, Kirchner, Rouse (Sony Classical 66299)
1995
Grammy Awards of 1995

The 37th Grammy Awards were presented March 1, 1995. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year....
The New York Album - Works of Albert
Stephen Albert

Stephen Albert was an American composer.Born in New York City on 6 February 1941, Albert began his musical training on the piano, French horn, and trumpet as a youngster....
, Bartók
Béla Bartók

B?la Viktor J?nos Bart?k was a Hungarian people composer and pianist, considered to be one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. Through his collection and analytical study of folk music, he was one of the founders of ethnomusicology....
& Bloch
Ernest Bloch

Ernest Bloch was a Switzerland-born United States composer....
(Sony 57961)
1993
Grammy Awards of 1993

The 35th Grammy Awards were held in 1993. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Eric Clapton was the nights big winner winning 6 awards....
Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century....
: Sinfonia Concertante/Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – ) was a Russian composer of the Romantic music era. He wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the current classical repertoire, including the ballets Swan Lake and Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, his Piano Concerto No....
: Variations on a Rococo Theme (Sony 48382)
1990
Grammy Awards of 1990

The 32nd Grammy Awards were held in 1990. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year....
Barber
Samuel Barber

Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is among his most popular compositions and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music....
: Cello Concerto, Op. 22/Britten
Benjamin Britten

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, Order of Merit Order of the Companions of Honour was an England composer, conducting, viola and pianist....
: Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68 (CBS 44900)

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)

The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance has been awarded since 1959. From 1967 to 1971 and in 1987 the award was combined with the award for Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance and awarded as the Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists ....
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1985
Grammy Awards of 1985

The 27th Grammy Awards were held February 26, 1985, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1984....
Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organ whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque music period and brought it to its ultimate maturity....
: The Unaccompanied Cello Suites (CBS 37867)

Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition
Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition

The Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition was first awarded in 1961. This award was not presented from 1967 to 1984.The award has had several minor name changes:...
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1995
Grammy Awards of 1995

The 37th Grammy Awards were presented March 1, 1995. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year....
The New York Album, Stephen Albert
Stephen Albert

Stephen Albert was an American composer.Born in New York City on 6 February 1941, Albert began his musical training on the piano, French horn, and trumpet as a youngster....
: Cello Concerto (Sony 57961)

Grammy Award for Best Classical Album
Grammy Award for Best Classical Album

The Grammy Award for Best Classical Album has been awarded since 1962. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1962 to 1963, 1965 to 1972 and 1974 to 1976 the award was known as Album of the Year - Classical...
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1998
Grammy Awards of 1998

The 40th Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1998. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.Unlike many Grammy award ceremonies, which are often criticized for being too boring, the 1998 Grammys had several memorable and shocking moments....
Yo-Yo Ma Premieres - Danielpour, Kirchner, Rouse (Sony Classical 66299)

Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album
Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album

The Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album has been awarded since 1999.Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year....
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2004
Grammy Awards of 2004

The 46th Grammy Awards were held on the February 8, 2004. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Beyonc? Knowles was the night's biggest winner by taking home 5 Grammys....
Obrigado Brazil (Sony 89935)
2001
Grammy Awards of 2001

The 43rd Grammy Awards were held on February 21, 2001. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Many were stunned by Steely Dan's win for Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Two Against Nature beating out Eminem's controversial The Marshall Mathers LP....
Appalachian Journey
Appalachian Journey

Appalachian Journey is the second album from the string trio of bassist and composer Edgar Meyer, fiddler and composer Mark O'Connor, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma....
(Sony 66782)
1999
Grammy Awards of 1999

The 41st Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1998. Celine Dion dominated the night with her worldwide hit "My Heart Will Go On", sweeping the majority of the highest awards....
Soul of the Tango - The Music of Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Piazzolla

?stor Pantale?n Piazzolla was an Argentina tango music composer and bandone?n player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and European classical music....
(Sony Classical 63122)

Latin Grammy for Best Instrumental Album
Latin Grammy Awards

The Latin Grammy Awards were launched in 2000 with a telecast aired on CBS. It was the first primarily Spanish language prime-time program carried on an English-language television network....

2004
Latin Grammy Awards of 2004

The 5th Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held on Wednesday, September 1, 2004, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.This was the last telecast of the awards nationally in the United States in English language with a CBS contract....
Obrigado Brazil (Sony 89935)

Glenn Gould Prize
Glenn Gould Prize

The Glenn Gould Prize is an international award bestowed by the Glenn Gould Foundation in memory of noted Canadian Piano Glenn Gould. It is awarded every third year to a living individual in recognition of his/her contributions to music and communication....

1999

Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.)
Doctor of Musical Arts

The Doctor of Musical Arts degree is a doctorates academic degree in music. The D.M.A. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy....
(honoris causa)

2005 Princeton University
Princeton University

Princeton University is a private university university located in Princeton, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League and has the largest per-student Financial endowment in the world....

Honorary Doctorate

2004 American University of Beirut
American University of Beirut

The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by United States missionary Daniel Bliss in 1866....

External links

*
from WGBH Radio Boston
, October 2008
from C Music TV