Yo-Yo Ma

Some musicians are so closely linked to their instruments that it seems like one wouldn't exist without the other. For the better part of his life, Yo-Yo Ma has become defined by the instrument he plays: the cello. He was born in Paris to a mother who was a singer and a father who was a music professor. Picking up music at an early age, Ma quickly became an adept cellists--performing to audiences at the early age of five and playing for President John F. Kennedy when he was only seven. Later, he would study at the famed Julliard School of Music enrolling at Harvard University. While studying music at these various institutions, Ma fell in love with classical arrangements but also with modern compositions--resulting in a unique take on music that blends old world sounds with modern tones.