In addition to recordings of the standard classical repertoire, Ma has recorded a wide variety of folk music, such as American bluegrass music, traditional Chinese melodies, the tangos of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, and Brazilian music. He has also collaborated with artists from a diverse range of genres, including Bobby McFerrin, Carlos Santana, Chris Botti, Diana Krall, James Taylor, Miley Cyrus, and Sting.
Ma has been a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 2006. He has received numerous awards, including the Avery Fisher Prize in 1978, The Glenn Gould Prize in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, Kennedy Center Honors in 2011, the Polar Music Prize in 2012, and the Birgit Nilsson Prize in 2022. He was named as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020. Aside from English, Ma is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and French.
Ma's primary performance instrument is the Davidov cello, made in 1712 by Antonio Stradivari
Ma's mother, Marina Lu, was a singer, and his father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma, was a violinist, composer and professor of music at Nanjing National Central University (now relocated in Taoyuan, Taiwan; predecessor of the present-day Nanjing University and Southeast University). They both migrated from the Republic of China to France during the Chinese Civil War. Ma's sister, Yeou-Cheng Ma, played the violin and piano professionally before obtaining a medical degree from Harvard and becoming a pediatrician. The family moved to New York City when Ma was seven.
From the age of three, Ma played the drums, violin, piano, and later viola, but settled on the cello in 1960 at age four. When three-year-old Yo-Yo said he wanted a big instrument, his father went to see Etienne Vatelot, a foremost violin maker in Paris who, after a chat, lent him a 1/16th cello. He jokes that his first choice was the double bass due to its large size, but he compromised and took up the cello instead. When his father realized that Yo-Yo was ready for a better teacher, a well-known cello instructor, Mme Michelle Lepinte, was selected. He began performing before audiences at age five and played for presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy when he was seven. At age eight, he appeared on American television with his sister in an event introduced by Leonard Bernstein. In 1964, Isaac Stern introduced them on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and they performed the Sonata of Sammartini. He attended Trinity School in New York but transferred to the Professional Children's School, where he graduated at age 15. He appeared as a soloist with the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra in a performance of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations.
Ma studied at the Juilliard School at age 19 with Leonard Rose and attended Columbia University, but dropped out. He later enrolled at Harvard College. Prior to entering Harvard, Ma played in the Marlboro Festival Orchestra under the direction of cellist, conductor and Ma’s childhood hero Pablo Casals. He spent four summers at the Marlboro Music Festival after meeting and falling in love with Mount Holyoke College sophomore and festival administrator Jill Hornor during his first summer there in 1972.
Even before that time, Ma gained fame and performed with many of the world's major orchestras. He has also played chamber music, often with pianist Emanuel Ax, with whom he has a close friendship from their days at Juilliard. Ma received his bachelor's degree in anthropology from Harvard in 1976, and in 1991 received an honorary doctorate from Harvard.
Yo-Yo Ma has been referred to by critics as "omnivorous" and possesses an eclectic repertoire. In addition to numerous recordings of the standard classical repertoire, he has recorded 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; Brazilian music, recording traditional and contemporary songs composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Pixinguinha; a collaboration with Bobby McFerrin (where Ma admitted to being terrified by McFerrin's improvisation); and the music of modern minimalist Philip Glass, in such works as the 2002 Naqoyqatsi.
Ma is known for his smooth, rich tone, soulful lyricism, and virtuosity. He released a cello recording of Niccolò Paganini's Caprice No. 24 for solo violin and Zoltán Kodály's Solo Sonata.
On May 1, 2019, he performed at Paranal Observatory in the Atacama desert. He said that his interest in astronomy motivated him to visit and perform there.
Ma's albums include recordings of cello concertos, sonatas for cello and piano, works for solo cello, and a variety of chamber music. He has also recorded in non-classical styles, notably in collaboration with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Carlos Santana, Chris Botti, Chris Thile, Diana Krall, James Taylor, Miley Cyrus and Sting.
I Am You
Yo-Yo Ma Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And trouble begins to brew,
Whenever the Winter winds become too strong,
I concentrate on you.
When fortune cries "Nay! Nay!" to me
And people declare "You're through!",
Whenever the blues become my only song,I concentrate on you.
On your smile so sweet, so tender,
When at first your kiss I decline.
On the light in your eyes when I surrender,
And once again our arms intertwine
And so, when wise men say to me
That love's young dream never comes true,
To prove that even wise men can be wrong,
I concentrate on you.
The lyrics of Yo-Yo Ma's song "I Concentrate On You" convey a message of the power of love and its ability to provide comfort during difficult times. The opening two lines of the song suggest that during moments when the world seems dark and cold, and when problems appear to be insurmountable, the singer finds solace in thinking of their love interest. The metaphors of "skies look gray" and "Winter winds become too strong" illustrate a sense of hopelessness or despair that can consume a person at times. However, the singer's focus on their love interest serves as an anchoring force that guides them through these turbulent moments.
The next two lines of the song further emphasize the role of love in the singer's life. When faced with rejection or failure, the singer "concentrates" on their lover to help them gain perspective and move forward. The final two lines of the first verse indicate that thinking of their lover brings joy and light into the singer's life. This is emphasized by the description of their lover's smile and the light in their eyes, which provide a sense of comfort, hope, and understanding. When the two embrace again, it is a symbol of the healing power of love in overcoming life's challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Whenever skies look gray to me
Whenever I'm feeling down and things seem gloomy
And trouble begins to brew,
And problems start to arise
Whenever the Winter winds become too strong,
Whenever life becomes too difficult to handle
I concentrate on you.
I focus on thoughts of you to help me cope
When fortune cries "Nay! Nay!" to me
When luck is against me
And people declare "You're through!",
And others doubt me
Whenever the blues become my only song,
When sadness overwhelms me
I concentrate on you.
I turn to thoughts of you to lift my spirits
On your smile so sweet, so tender,
Your gentle and loving expression
When at first your kiss I decline.
Even when I resist your affection at first
On the light in your eyes when I surrender,
The way your eyes light up when I finally give in to your love
And once again our arms intertwine
And we are reunited in a loving embrace
And so, when wise men say to me
And when others try to tell me
That love's young dream never comes true,
That true love is just an unachievable fantasy
To prove that even wise men can be wrong,
To show that even smart and knowledgeable people can be mistaken
I concentrate on you.
I focus on my love for you to prove them all wrong
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PanteraVivace97
One of my favorite episodes... Bradley was perfect. What a performance. What a scene.
@justmom9635
It's such a soothing piece. ❤
@JB-nz1qn
This scene helped me get through emotional trauma that I had been going through and even though this was performance was Josh's trigger, it actually had become my healing. Bach's Suite No.1 by Yo Yo Ma is a favorite of mine now 🥲
@stevenstewart6349
Art.
@toddjh
It's great that Josh got the help he needed and all but are we just going to ignore the fact that he actually didn't use a coaster for his drink?
@vinista256
LOL—that part was imagined, though 😉 .
@daviedmx38
It's not always like this. I don't have flash backs. Most of the time I try not to remember anything. But sometime I try to remember everything. I try to remember every detail.