Ma, Yo-Yo

Ma, Yo-Yo, brilliant Chinese-American cellist; b. Paris, Oct. 7, 1955. He was born into a musical family active in Paris; his father was a violinist, his mother a mezzo-soprano. He began to study violin as a small child, then graduated to the viola and finally the cello. He was taken to N.Y. when he was 7, and enrolled at the Juilliard School of Music when he was 9; his principal teachers were Leonard Rose and János Scholz. He subsequently received additional musical training at Harvard Univ. In 1978 he was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize. He quickly established a formidable reputation as a master of the cello in his appearances with the great orchs. of the world, as a recitalist, and as a chamber music player, being deservedly acclaimed for his unostentatious musicianship, his superlative technical resources, and the remarke tone of his melodious lyricism. In order to extend his repertoire, he made a number of effective transcriptions for his instrument. In addition to commissioning various contemporary works for his instrument, Ma has broadened his audience by recording bluegrass, tangos, and other popular music genres. In 1998 his recording of the 6 Bach unaccompanied cello suites was released in conjunction with a series of films created in collaboration with several media artists. In addition to numerous Grammy awards, he received an honorary doctorate from Harvard Univ. in 1991 and in 1999 he was awarded the Glenn Gould Prize.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire