Yo-Yo Ma has the flattering reputation of being one of the best cellists in the world.
For those who don’t know, he’s an American musician who was born in France and his parents are originally from China.
Combine his talent and experience with an interesting vision of NPR Music Tiny Desk Performance, and you get an unforgettable show.
Tiny Desk Concerts is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music.
In the series, musicians come to perform at Bob Boilen’s desk in Washington D.C.. Boilen is the host of All Things Considered, and the idea of bringing artists to perform at his desk was built around the concept of creating a more intimate way of performing and building closeness between a player and his audience.
We certainly applaud the engineers of Tiny Desk for bringing this performance to us so beautifully!
Everything is impeccable: the video, the sound, and the way it was all filmed and put together. Yo-Yo Ma is a beloved cellist worldwide and has been so for the past 40 years, but the man has remained humble and dedicated to the music. Ma’s facial expressions show it all—this is a man who enjoys every note he plays.
It’s interesting to know that Yo-Yo named his cello Petunia.
The instrument was built in 1733, and today, it is valued at $2.5 million. Judging by the way Ma plays it in the video, we’d bet that the instrument’s worth comes from the years he’s spent playing it—and all the impressive performances he’s delivered.
This video shows a musician who has it all: education, talent and incredible experience.
Ma graduated from the Julliard School and Harvard University.
He has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world, recorded 90 albums and received 18 Grammy Awards. Ma was also awarded 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. We are watching a man who’s performed for President Obama—and when he was only seven-years-old, he also performed for President Kennedy.
Ma is a founding member of the Chinese-American Committee of 100, which addresses the concerns of Americans of Chinese heritage.
As if all this all weren’t enough, Ma was named Peace Ambassador by then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2006. We bet you get the idea of why the world loves this man so much. It’s easy to see why!
Ma is one of the world’s most brilliant cellists and a curious humanitarian.
We are seeing an amazing human being who serves as endless inspiration to all of us in terms of his dedication, hard work and behavior.
Throughout the years, Ma has exhibited a will to understand, celebrate and connect different cultures around the world. His whole life in a perfect example of what the term international is all about. While living in the United States, Ma performed worldwide and managed to unite people across the globe. He’s put his talent in good use, and we should all learn from it. It may be a Tiny Desk performance, but there’s a huge heart behind it. Though it goes without saying, we could watch this again and again!
Be sure to check out the entire performance by clicking the link below:
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