Yo-Yo Ma

Yo-Yo Ma (Chinese: 馬友友; Pinyin: Mǎ Yǒuyǒu) (born October 7, 1955) is a world-famous French-born -Chinese-American cellist. He is considered one of the best cellists in the world. He was born in Paris to Chinese parents and had a musical upbringing. His mother, Marina Lu (Chinese: 盧雅文; Pinyin: Lú Yǎwén), was a singer, while his father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma (Chinese: 馬孝駿; Pinyin: Mǎ Xiàojùn), was a conductor and composer. Ma began to study the violin, then the viola, before taking up the cello. His family moved to New York when he was seven years old. Ma was a child prodigy, appearing on American television at the age of eight in a concert conducted by Leonard Bernstein. He entered the Juilliard School, and then went to Harvard University (where he was in the Currier House dormitory), but was questioning whether he should continue his studies until, in the 1970s, Pablo Casals's performing inspired him.