Yo-Yo Ma Height, Weight, Age, Facts, Biography

Yo-Yo Ma is an American musician, cellist, teacher, voice artist, and humanitarian who was a child prodigy. Over the years, he has recorded more than 90 albums, has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world, and has received at least 19 Grammy Awards. He has also been a recipient of accolades like The Glenn Gould Prize in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, and the Polar Music Prize in 2012. In 2006, Yo-Yo Ma was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Born Name

Yo-Yo Ma

Nick Name

Yo-Yo

Sun Sign

Libra

Born Place

Paris, France

Nationality

Education

Yo-Yo Ma received training from cello instructor Mme Michelle Lepinte. He also enrolled at Trinity School in New York but then transferred to the Professional Children’s School, from where he graduated at the age of 15.

When he was 19, he attended the Juilliard School and also studied at Columbia University, before dropping out. Afterward, he joined Harvard College and obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1976.

Occupation

Musician, Cellist, Teacher, Voice Artist, Humanitarian

Family

• Father – Hiao-Tsiun Ma (Violinist, Composer, Professor of Music at Nanjing National Central University)
• Mother – Marina Lu (Singer)
• Siblings – Yeou-Cheng Ma (Sister) (Musician, Pediatrician)
• Others – Ma Ming-Yang (Paternal Grandfather), Zhu Pu-Zhong (Paternal Grandmother), Ma Ji Cang (4th Great Grand-Uncle), Eva Longoria (Distant Relative) (Actor, Producer, Director)

Manager

Yo-Yo Ma has been signed with –

• Sound Postings, Company, Arlington, Massachusetts, United States
• The Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency, Inc., Talent Agency, Burbank, California, United States

Genre

Classical

Instruments

Cello

Labels

CBS, RCA Records, Sony Classical Records

Net Worth

According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, his net worth has been $30 Million.

Build

Average

Height

5 ft 10 in or 178 cm

Weight

74 kg or 163 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Yo-Yo Ma has dated –

1. Jill Hornor (1978-Present) – Yo-Yo Ma got married to an arts consultant named Jill Hornor in the year 1978 and the duo has 2 children – a son named Nicholas Ma (b. 1983) and a daughter named Emily (b. 1985).

Race / Ethnicity

Asian

Yo-Yo Ma is of Chinese descent.

Hair Color

Salt and Pepper

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Humble nature
• Smooth, rich tone

Brand Endorsements

In 1997, Yo-Yo Ma did print ads for Harmon Kardon components and Infinity speakers.

Yo-Yo Ma Facts

1. During the Chinese Civil War, his parents migrated from the Republic of China to France and the family later shifted to New York City when Ma was 7 years old.
2. Yo-Yo Ma started playing violin and piano when he was 3 years old and decided to play the cello when he was 4.
3. When he was 5, he started performing before audiences and went on to play for presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy when he was 7 years old.
4. Along with his sister, Yo-Yo Ma performed the Sonata of Sammartini on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1964.
5. In 2001, he was “tagged” as the “Sexiest Classical Musician” by People and Yo-Yo Ma has considered it the “worst epithet he’s ever faced”.
6. He is well-versed in English as well as his native Chinese.
7. During a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, he performed at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, with violinist Renaud Capuçon, on November 11, 2018.
8. Yo-Yo Ma was named one of Time‘s “100 Most Influential People of 2020”.
9. He has been friends with singer-songwriter James Taylor and they have also worked together.

Featured Image by Ralph Daily / Flickr / CC BY 2.0