Yo-Yo Ma grew up predisposed toward music. Both his parents were active in the performing arts and influenced his musical background. His mother, Marina Lu, was a singer, and his father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma, was a conductor and composer. His family moved to New York when he was four years old. He was married to long-time girlfriend Jill Hornor in 1977 and the couple has two children. The family currently resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ma and his older sister operate the Children's Orchestra Society.
He began his musical career at an early age, studying violin, viola, and cello all before the age of four. He started performing in front of live audiences by five years old and performed for President John F. Kennedy at the age of seven. When he was eight years old, he appeared on American television in a concert conducted by Leonard Bernstein. At fifteen years old, Yo-Yo Ma graduated from Trinity School in New York and began appearing as a soloist with the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra in a performance of the Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations.
After graduation, Ma attended the Juilliard School of Music with Leonard Rose, then Columbia University, and finally ended up at Harvard. By that time, he had already performed with many of the top orchestras in the world. Ma has also been known for his chamber music performances with pianist Emanuel Ax. Yo-Yo Ma's current project is the Silk Road Ensemble, which brings together musicians from all around the world. The project is currently being handled and recorded by the Sony's Classical music division.
Ma enjoyed a resurgence of fame in 1997, after being featured on the soundtrack to Seven Years in Tibet, by John Williams. In 2000, he was part of the soundtrack for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which became a surprise blockbuster hit. Ma then worked with Williams again on the soundtrack for 2005's Memoirs of a Geisha. He has also collaborated with Italian composer Ennio Morricone and has performed his own recordings of Morricone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly trilogy. Yo-Yo Ma has recorded over 75 albums, with 15 of those winning a Grammy award. He has also been awarded the Award of Excellence by The International Center in New York City, among many other lifetime awards.
Yo-Yo Ma's playing style is more eclectic than that of most classical musicians. His tremendous versatility can be seen in numerous recordings of the standard classical repertoire, along with 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, a collaboration with Bobby McFerrin, and even the music of modern minimalist Philip Glass in such works as the 2002 piece, Naqoyqatsi. In 2006, he performed on the critically acclaimed soundtrack for Memoirs of a Geisha. Ma's rich, mellow tone is the most well-known attribute of his music and his flexibility and versatility is legendary among classical musicians.
Yo-Yo Ma Clips:
This first clip is of Yo-Yo Ma playing on Sesame Street with the Honkers. The second is Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach´s Cello Suite No. 1. Enjoy!
Photo Credits: 1
Originally posted 2008-10-28 05:00:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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