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Yo-Yo Ma

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Yo-Yo Ma (born on October 7, 1955) is a worldwide renowned French-born Chinese-American cellist. Considered one of the best cellists around the world, Yo-Yo Ma was born in Paris, France to Chinese parents and had a musical education. Hiao-Tsiun, his father, was a conductor and composer, while Marina Lu, his mother, was a singer. Ma started to take violin lessons, and then the viola, before he took up the cello.

At seven years old, Yo-Yo Ma’s family moved to New York. He was a child prodigy who appeared on American television when he was eight years old in a broadcasted concert conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Ma entered the Julliard School before going to Harvard University, when he started to wonder if he would keep studying.

Yo-Yo Ma’s main performance instrument is a Montagnana cello, “Petunia”. He possesses a very eclectic repertoire, far more assorted than other classical players, and this has earned him the fame of being the most omnivorous of all cellists. He has recorded several Baroque pieces, traditional Chinese melodies, Brazilian music, American bluegrass music, the Argentinian tangos of Astor Piazzolla, the score of Naqoyaqatsi, the original soundtrack for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha, and several other recordings of the standard classical repertoire.

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