Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born to and partial… Read Full Bio ↴Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born to and partially raised by Chinese parents in Paris and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from the Juilliard School and Harvard University, attended Columbia University, and has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world. He has recorded more than 92 albums and received 19 Grammy Awards.

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.

Stars
Yo-Yo Ma Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(I miss you) 너를 위해 죽을 수도 있단 생각을 했어
Now don't need the pills
And no more the cheers
여기서 꺼내줘
이 콘크리트 서울에서
날 더 반짝이게 해줘 oh, yeah
(Oh, yeah) 'cause your my shining star

Shining star 내 앞을 밝혀줘
빛이나 don't worry, mom
얘는 날 지옥에서 꺼내줘
이런 Oh my God 나 어쩔까
좀 취했나 싶어
조만간에 받게 될 거야
어디야 보고 싶어 (ya)
내게 속삭여줄래 날 사랑한다고 (다고)
나에게만 말해줄래 날 그리워했다고 (다고)
늘 너에게로 나 어쩌면
다시 돌아갈 순 없데도 (없데도)
You're my shining star
이 빛을 따라 너에게로 (let's go)

너를 위해 죽을수도 있단 생각을 했어
Now don't need the pills
And no more the cheers
여기서 꺼내줘
이 콘크리트 서울에서
날 더 반짝이게 해줘 oh, yeah
(Oh, yeah) 'cause your my shining star (let's go)
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa
'Cause you're my shining star
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa

'Cause you're my shining star

흔들리는 네온사인 틈 사이로
비틀대면서도 내 목적지는 확실해
어둠 속에서도 내 길을 밝혀줄
You're my shining star (oh)
표현이 다소 거칠긴 해도
너에게만큼은 있는 그대로 다
말해주고 싶어
목숨이 수백 개인 놈 마냥
내 가진 모든 걸 다 걸겠어

너를 위해 죽을 수도 있단 생각을 했어
Now don't need the pills
And more the cheers
여기서 꺼내줘
이 콘크리트 서울에서
날 더 반짝이게 해줘 oh, yeah
(Oh, yeah) 'cause your my shining star (let's go)
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa
'Cause you're my shining star
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa
'Cause you're my shining star
'Cause you're my shining star

Overall Meaning

The song "Stars" by Yo-Yo Ma & Bobby McFerrin is a heartfelt ballad that speaks of a person's desire to open up to someone they hold dear. The lyrics describe the feeling of vulnerability and nervousness that comes with confessing one's feelings, but at the same time, the need to have that person as a guiding light, just like the stars in the night sky. Despite the singer's hesitation and uncertainty, the imagery of the shining stars and the moonlight provides a sense of hope and comfort.

The chorus of the song repeats the line, "Just like the stars shining above, be my compass tonight, show me your love," emphasizing the idea of having someone to rely on and trust in one's journey in life. Moreover, the lyrics express the singer's willingness to reciprocate the love and provide support in return, promising to be the person that shines the light for their loved one on tough days.

Overall, the song portrays the beauty and importance of truly connecting with another person and letting them guide and support us when things get tough. It shows how just like the stars and the moonlight, people can be each other's constants in life and help each other navigate through the uncertainties.

Line by Line Meaning

조금 떨리지만 용기 낼게요
Even though I'm a little nervous, I'll be brave

쉽진 않겠지만 꺼내 볼게요
It won't be easy, but I'll give it a try

내 맘속 깊은 곳에서 들려주고 싶은
From deep inside my heart, I want to tell you

조금은 어색한 이야기
Even though it's a little awkward

하얗게 번진 입김 사이로
Between the white breath that spreads out

작은 모습까지 선명하죠
Even small things become clear

아름답게 반짝이는 별들처럼
Like beautiful sparkling stars

나침반이 되어줘요
Please be my compass

나의 길을 밝혀줘요
Light up my path

따뜻하게 그댈 안고서
Holding you warmly

말해주고 싶어
I want to tell you