Yo-Yo Ma

Place of Birth: Paris, France

Date of Birth: 7 October, 1955

Ethnicity: Chinese

Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist.

He was born in Paris, France, to Chinese parents. His mother, Lo Ya-Wen/Marina Lu, was a singer, and his father, Ma Xiao-Jun/Hiao-Tsiun Ma, was a violinist, composer, and music teacher. His father was born in Xianxiang, Ningbo, Zhejiang, and moved to Paris in 1936 to study music; he spent WWII there. His sister, Yeou-Cheng Ma, played the violin and piano.

Yo-Yo and his family moved to New York City, New York, U.S., when he was seven years old. He is a naturalized American citizen. He played at the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Yo-Yo is married to arts consultant Jill Hornor, with whom he has two children.

Yo-Yo’s paternal grandfather was named Ma Ming-Yang/馬明敭 (the son of Ma Yong-Jin/馬永金, and of a woman of the Zhang family). Ma Yong-Jin was the son of Ma De-Zhang/馬德章, and of a woman of the Hu family.

Yo-Yo’s paternal grandmother was named Zhu Pu-Zhong/朱普中.

Source: Genealogy of Yo-Yo Ma (focusing on his father’s side) –