Year Joined

  • 1989

Areas of Expertise

  • Arts & Entertainment 

Online Presence

YO-YO IN THE NEWS

  • Yo-Yo Ma shares about impact of music during socially distant times

    August 14, 2020  |  Washington Post

  • Yo-Yo Ma discusses using music and his platform to provide comfort

    July 24, 2020  |  Time

  • Yo-Yo Ma shares about movement to provide #Songsofcomfort

    June 09, 2020  |  NY Times

  • Yo-Yo Ma gives back to Chicago through music and culture

    February 19, 2020  |  Chicago Tribune

  • Yo-Yo Ma surprises ten-year old fan with a personal gift

    July 24, 2019  |  Chicago Tribune

  • Yo-Yo Ma hosts public concert at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park

    June 21, 2019  |  Xinhua

  • Yo-Yo Ma speaks on the impact of cultural exchange

    August 21, 2019  |  Korea Times

  • Yo-Yo Ma led master class at University of Santa Barbara

    May 01, 2019  |  The Bottom Line

  • Yo-Yo Ma performs at U.S.-Mexico border crossing

    April 14, 2019  |  CNN

  • Yo-Yo Ma plays Bach at U.S.-Mexico border to celebrate the connection between two cultures

    April 13, 2019  |  NPR

  • Yo-Yo Ma examines instrumental role of culture in society

    March 31, 2019  |  Noozhawk

  • Yo-Yo Ma brings Bach to Mexico

    March 25, 2019  |  El Universal

  • Yo-Yo Ma pairs music and social justice in Harvard Business School Panel

    March 14, 2019  |  The Harvard Crimson

  • Yo-Yo Ma featured in Chicago Peace Concert

    June 10, 2018  |  CBS Chicago

  • Yo-Yo Ma inducted into Lincoln Center’s Performing Arts Hall of Fame

    June 08, 2017  |  Huffington Post

  • Yo-Yo Ma ’s Silk Road Ensemble highlighted for musical diplomacy

    June 08, 2017  |  The New York Times

  • Yo-Yo Ma praised for inspiring “Concert for Peace” at St. Sabina Church

    June 11, 2017  |  Chicago Sun Times

  • Yo-Yo Ma praised for ‘superstar’ performance with Minnesota Orchestra

    June 14, 2017  |  StarTribune

  • Yo-Yo Ma praised for his efforts to revitalize the city of Chicago

    June 23, 2017  |  Crain's Chicago Business

  • Yo-Yo Ma to perform at world premier music festival in August

    May 02, 2017  |  Dartmouth News

  • Yo-Yo Ma performs at Greek Theater in Berkeley with “Bach Trio”

    May 02, 2017  |  San Francisco Classical Voice

  • Yo-Yo Ma s Silk Road music celebrates the Silk Road

    May 03, 2017  |  Cankaoxiaoxi

  • Yo-Yo Ma featured in Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts 2017-18 classical season

    May 05, 2017  |  Scottsdale Independent

  • Yo-Yo Ma reunites with Condoleezza Rice for performance at Kennedy Center

    May 07, 2017  |  Washington Post

  • Yo-Yo Ma headlines Moss Art Center’s 2017-18 performance season

    May 08, 2017  |  Virginia Tech News

  • Yo-Yo Ma speaks at MIT’s Solve global challenges initiative

    May 08, 2017  |  PR Newswire

  • Yo-Yo Ma leads “Concert for Peace” in Chicago

    May 11, 2017  |  NBC Chicago

  • Yo-Yo Ma and National Symphony Orchestra perform for John F. Kennedy’s centenary

    May 25, 2017  |  Washington Classical Review

  • Yo-Yo Ma is one of Colorado Symphony’s 2017/18 season highlights

    March 01, 2017  |  The Denver Post

  • Yo-Yo Ma Silk Road Ensemble “builds bridges between cultures one note at a time”

    March 02, 2017  |  The Japan Times

  • Yo-Yo Ma to perform at University of Iowa

    March 03, 2017  |  The Daily Iowan

  • Yo-Yo Ma “The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble” documentary now available on HBO

    March 03, 2017  |  The New York Times

  • Yo-Yo Ma ’s “Music of Strangers” documentary praised as ‘extraordinary’ and ‘rewarding’

    March 10, 2017  |  National Business Review

  • Yo-Yo Ma performs the European première of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s challenging new Cello concerto

    April 03, 2017  |  Evening Standard

  • Yo-Yo Ma set to co-lead 2017 Kennedy Center Arts Summit

    April 11, 2017  |  Broadway World

  • Yo-Yo Ma will perform with Minnesota Orchestra in June

    February 03, 2017  |  Star Tribune

  • Yo-Yo Ma Houston audience erupts in applause for

    February 06, 2017  |  Houstonia Magazine

  • Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Joshua Bell perform with D.C. elementary school students

    February 08, 2017  |  The Washington Post

  • Yo-Yo Ma talks about his latest album with the Silk Road Ensemble

    February 11, 2017  |  Forbes

  • Yo-Yo Ma and Silk Road Ensemble win Best World Music Album at Grammys for ‘Sing Me Home’

    February 12, 2017  |  The Grammys

  • Yo-Yo Ma ’s “The Music of Strangers” documentary to premiere on HBO in March

    February 13, 2017  |  Broadway World

  • Yo-Yo Ma ’s musical performances “form a part of his soul”

    February 24, 2017  |  Daily Camera

  • Yo-Yo Ma performs with Colorado Springs Philharmonic to celebrate its 90th anniversary

    February 26, 2017  |  The Gazette

  • Yo-Yo Ma is one of Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2017/18 season highlights

    January 31, 2017  |  Chicago Classical Review

  • Yo-Yo Ma is soloist for Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s 2017-18 season-opening gala in September

    February 01, 2017  |  Dallas News

  • Yo-Yo Ma and Houston Symphony perform one-night-only sold-out concert

    January 24, 2017  |  Broadway World

  • Yo-Yo Ma gives advice on raising creative children at World Economic Forum in Davos

    January 26, 2017  |  Quartz

  • Yo-Yo Ma to perform at Symphony Hall in Boston

    January 26, 2017  |  The Boston Globe

  • Yo-Yo Ma is one of Kansas City Symphony’s 17/18 Season highlights

    January 30, 2017  |  The Kansas City Star

  • Yo-Yo Ma receives Grammy Award nomination for “Sing Me Home” album

    January 15, 2017  |  Columbia Daily Tribune

  • Yo-Yo Ma to perform at Missouri University of Science and Technology

    January 18, 2017  |  Missouri S&T

  • Yo-Yo Ma ’s “goal of music as a means of communication”

    December 29, 2016  |  World Music Central

  • Yo-Yo Ma featured on “the story of the Cello”

    January 06, 2017  |  The Guardian

  • Yo-Yo Ma and “the beauty of music in a violent world”

    January 06, 2017  |  BrisbaneTimes

  • Yo-Yo Ma hailed “a legend” as “the most famous musician that China has bestowed upon the classical community”

    January 07, 2017  |  Classic FM

  • Yo-Yo Ma Interview on inspiration for Silk Road Ensemble album, Sing Me Home

    December 16, 2016  |  Classical MPR

  • Yo-Yo Ma joins Houston Symphony Orchestra February 2017

    December 19, 2016  |  Broadway World

  • Yo-Yo Ma named top ten performance in Chicago for 2016

    December 23, 2016  |  Chicago Classical Review

  • Yo-Yo Ma and “The Music of Strangers” documentary is praised for its inspiration

    December 01, 2016  |  The Arts Desk

  • Yo-Yo Ma performs at 10th Anniversary Gala concert of Montreal Bach Festiva

    December 02, 2016  |  Montreal Gazette

  • Yo-Yo Ma performs with Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra to sold-out crowd

    December 06, 2016  |  WHEC News

  • Yo-Yo Ma receives Grammy Award nomination for “Sing Me Home”

    December 06, 2016  |  Daily Mail

  • Yo-Yo Ma to promote artistic development at Youth Music Culture Guangdong in January 2017

    December 08, 2016  |  Broadway World

  • Yo-Yo Ma demonstrates the synergy of science and music

    December 08, 2016  |  National Institutes of Health

  • Yo-Yo Ma performs with Albany Symphony Orchestra

    December 09, 2016  |  The Daily Gazette

  • Yo-Yo Ma and “The Music of Strangers” documentary “works to unite both audiences and performers in a conversation about art”

    November 14, 2016  |  St. Catherines Standard

  • Yo-Yo Ma in interview “Facing the Music”

    November 07, 2016  |  The Guardian

  • Yo-Yo Ma on the healing power of music, especially in times of “increasing change and rising xenophobia”

    November 08, 2016  |  Straits Times

  • Yo-Yo Ma documentary “The Music of Strangers: The Silk Road Ensemble” featured at Fresno Film Festival in California

    November 08, 2016  |  Valley Public Radio

  • Yo-Yo Ma praised for performance of “musical riches”

    November 14, 2016  |  Straits Times

  • Yo-Yo Ma will perform at the Abu Dhabi Festival 2017

    November 03, 2016  |  The National

  • Yo-Yo Ma is awarded 2016 J. Paul Getty Medal for extraordinary contributions to further the understanding of world’s diverse cultures

    October 19, 2016  |  Haute Living

  • Yo-Yo Ma praised for magnificent performance with the Boston Symphony Orchestra

    October 22, 2016  |  Boston Globe

  • Yo-Yo Ma :The two questions one of the world’s best musicians asks about everything

    October 07, 2016  |  Quartz

  • Yo-Yo Ma comments on the joys of opening the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s new season

    August 30, 2016  |  South China Morning Post

  • Yo-Yo Ma joins Board of Trustees of World Economic Forum

    August 25, 2016  |  Mondo Visione

  • Yo-Yo Ma considered a cultural unifier alongside Pope Francis

    June 24, 2016  |  Huffington Post

  • Yo-Yo Ma discusses his new documentary “The Music of Strangers”

    June 24, 2016  |  ???

  • Yo-Yo Ma : New documentary on Silk Road Ensemble illustrates power of music

    June 23, 2016  |  Chicago Tribune

  • Yo-Yo Ma inducted into the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Hall of Fame.

    February 12, 2016  |  New York Times

  • Yo-Yo Ma will serve as artistic advisers to the Kennedy Center’s celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the birth of President John F. Kennedy.

    March 08, 2016  |  Washington Business Journal

  • Yo-Yo Ma ’s film The Music of Strangers on his work with the Silk Road ensemble is up in theatres nationwide

    June 10, 2016  |  New York Times

  • Yo-Yo Ma discusses breaking barriers throughout his career as an Asian American classical musician.

    November 17, 2015  |  IndyStar

  • Yo-Yo Ma speaks on musical interpretation and the role of music in society.

    December 10, 2015  |  WGBH

  • Yo-Yo Ma discusses his 60th birthday, an exciting upcoming performance, as well as his personal journey in an interview with The Guardian.

    July 30, 2015  |  The Guardian

  • Yo-Yo Ma performs in New York Philharmonic Lunar New Year concert.

    February 27, 2015  |  Yahoo News

  • Yo-Yo Ma is interviewed by Boston Magazine and discusses the role of humor in his work and personal life.

    March 05, 2015  |  Boston Magazine

  • Yo-Yo Ma , cellist, reflected on his life, performance as hospitality, and cross-cultural music-making in an episode of On Being with Krista Tippett

    September 04, 2014  |  On Being

  • Yo-Yo Ma , cellist, spoke on the importance of arts in education at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Legislative Summit

    August 21, 2014  |  NCSL Blog

RELATED VIDEO

Yo-Yo Ma World Famous cellist and philanthropist

馬友友

Cellist

Sound Postings, LLC

Yo-Yo Ma’s multi-faceted career is testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences, and to his personal desire for artistic growth and renewal. Whether performing new or familiar works from the cello repertoire, coming together with colleagues for chamber music or exploring cultures and musical forms outside the Western classical tradition, Mr. Ma strives to find connections that stimulate the imagination.

Yo-Yo Ma maintains a balance between his engagements as soloist with orchestras throughout the world and his recital and chamber music activities. He draws inspiration from a wide circle of collaborators, creating programs with such artists as Emanuel Ax, Daniel Barenboim, Kayhan Kalhor, Ton Koopman, Yu Long, Edgar Meyer, Mark Morris, Cristina Pato, Kathryn Stott, Chris Thile, Michael Tilson Thomas, Wu Man, Wu Tong, and Damian Woetzel. Each of these collaborations is fueled by the artists’ interactions, often extending the boundaries of a particular genre. One of Mr. Ma’s goals is the exploration of music as a means of communication and as a vehicle for the migration of ideas across a range of cultures throughout the world. To that end, he has taken time to immerse himself in subjects as diverse as native Chinese music with its distinctive instruments and the music of the Kalahari bush people in Africa.

Expanding upon this interest, in 1998, Mr. Ma established Silkroad, a nonprofit organization that seeks to create meaningful change at the intersections of the arts, education and business. Under his artistic direction, Silkroad presents performances by the acclaimed Silk Road Ensemble and develops new music, cultural partnerships, education programs, and cross-disciplinary collaborations. Silkroad’s ongoing affiliation with Harvard University has made it possible to develop programs such as the Arts and Passion-Driven Learning Institute for educators and teaching artists, held in collaboration with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a new Cultural Entrepreneurship initiative in partnership with Harvard Business School. More than 80 new musical and multimedia works have been commissioned for the Silk Road Ensemble from composers and arrangers around the world.

Through his work with Silkroad, as throughout his career, Yo-Yo Ma seeks to expand the cello repertoire, frequently performing lesser known music of the 20th century and commissions of new concertos and recital pieces. He has premiered works by a diverse group of composers, among them Elliott Carter, Richard Danielpour, Osvaldo Golijov, Leon Kirchner, Zhao Lin, Christopher Rouse, Giovanni Sollima, Bright Sheng, Tan Dun, John Williams and Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky. In February of 2017 he will premiere a new concerto by Esa-Pekka Salonen.

As the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant, Mr. Ma is partnering with Maestro Riccardo Muti to provide collaborative musical leadership and guidance on innovative program development for The Negaunee Music Institute of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and for Chicago Symphony artistic initiatives. Ma’s work focuses on the transformative power music can have in individuals’ lives, and on increasing the number and variety of opportunities audiences have to experience music in their communities. In March 2016, he was appointed Artistic Advisor at Large to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of their expansive initiatives honoring the centenary of JFK’s birth and to encourage the idea of creative citizenship.

Yo-Yo Ma is strongly committed to educational programs that not only bring young audiences into contact with music but also allow them to participate in its creation. While touring, he takes time whenever possible to conduct master classes as well as more informal programs for students-musicians and non-musicians alike. At the same time, he continues to develop new concert programs for family audiences, for instance helping to inaugurate the family series at Carnegie Hall. In each of these undertakings, he works to connect music to students’ daily surroundings and activities with the goal of making music and creativity a vital part of children’s lives from an early age. He has also reached young audiences through appearances on “Arthur”, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and “Sesame Street”.

Mr. Ma’s discography of over 100 albums (including 18 Grammy Award winners) reflects his wide-ranging interests. He has made several successful recordings that defy categorization, among them “Appalachia Waltz” and “Appalachian Journey” with Mark O’Connor and Edgar Meyer, and two Grammy-winning tributes to the music of Brazil, “Obrigado Brazil” and “Obrigado Brazil-Live in Concert” Mr. Ma’s recent recordings include: “The Goat Rodeo Sessions”, with Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile and Stuart Duncan, which received the 2013 Grammy for Best Folk Album, and “Songs from the Arc of Life” with pianist Kathryn Stott. His most recent release, “Sing Me Home” recorded with the Silk Road Ensemble, was released in April 2016 as the companion album to documentary film The Music of Strangers. Created by Oscar-winning producer Morgan Neville, the film follows the Ensemble’s more than 50 musicians, composers, visual artists and storytellers as they explore the ways art can both preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution. Next spring Mr. Ma looks forward to touring the upcoming Bach Trios project with Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile. Mr. Ma remains one of the best-selling recording artists in the classical field. All of his recent albums have quickly entered the Billboard chart of classical best sellers, remaining in the Top 15 for extended periods, often with as many as four titles simultaneously on the list.

Yo-Yo Ma was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris. He began to study the cello with his father at age four and soon came with his family to New York, where he spent most of his formative years. Later, his principal teacher was Leonard Rose at the Juilliard School. He sought out a traditional liberal arts education to expand upon his conservatory training, graduating from Harvard University in 1976. He has received numerous awards, including the Avery Fisher Prize (1978), the Glenn Gould Prize (1999), the National Medal of the Arts (2001), the Dan David Prize (2006), the Leonie Sonning Music Prize (2006), the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award (2008), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2010), the Polar Music Prize (2012) and the Vilcek Prize in Contemporary Music (2013). In 2011, Mr. Ma was recognized as a Kennedy Center Honoree. Appointed a CultureConnect Ambassador by the United States Department of State in 2002, Mr. Ma has met with, trained and mentored thousands of students worldwide in countries including Lithuania, Korea, Lebanon, Azerbaijan and China. Mr. Ma serves as a UN Messenger of Peace and as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts & the Humanities. He has performed for eight American presidents, most recently at the invitation of President Obama on the occasion of the 56th Inaugural Ceremony.

Mr. Ma and his wife have two children. He plays two instruments, a 1733 Montagnana cello from Venice and the 1712 Davidoff Stradivarius.

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