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Yo-Yo Ma

People leaned forward in their chairs. The music they were listening to was beautiful. "He's a genius," they whispered. When the concert ended, the musician smiled and took a bow.* His parents looked at him proudly. Their five-year-old son, Yo-Yo Ma, had performed well. Perhaps they already guessed that he would become one of the world's most famous cellists.

Yo-Yo Ma was born in Paris on October 7, 1955, to Chinese parents. His father wrote music. His mother was a singer and musician. At a very early age, Ma eagerly studied the violin and piano. At age four he began to study the cello, a musical instrument with four strings. The cello is part of the violin family, but it is larger than a violin and makes a deeper sound. Ma learned the cello quickly. When he was five years old, he was giving concerts. He played as well as an adult. He was what people call a child prodigy.

Ma's family moved to New York when he was seven years old. At the age of eight he appeared on American television. He played in a concert conducted by the famous Leonard Bernstein. Ma was a good and obedient boy at home, but he was a different boy at school. He was rebellious and got into trouble. His teachers finally realized that Ma was bored with his schoolwork. He was way ahead of his classmates. The teachers put him into advanced classes. At age fifteen he graduated from high school.

Ma attended the Juilliard School of Music, a famous school known around the world. He was performing many recitals during this time and making some money. He knew he could make a living as a musician. He enrolled in Columbia University, but then he dropped out. He went against his parent's wishes. Eventually he enrolled at Harvard. Again he wanted to drop out, but his parents said that he must complete his education. Ma graduated from Harvard.

Soon Ma was getting famous. He performed with many of the world's major orchestras. He made recordings and played with other famous musicians. As the years went by, his work became known to the world. Ma became one of the world's most famous and most favorite cellists. But Ma never let celebrity change him or his music.

Ma feels deeply that music should not just entertain. He believes it should touch the hearts of people and bring them closer together. He believes that music has a message for people. The message comes through him and his instrument to his audience. Ma uses his music to connect people to him and to each other. Ma does not play only classical music. He is very versatile. He is inspired by other artists and their music. He likes to blend many kinds of music into his performances. He has played tango music from Argentina and traditional Chinese melodies. He has also played with African musicians, traditional American bluegrass musicians, and many others. He has made soundtracks for movies. He has even performed for the Muppets puppets on the Sesame Street television show!

Ma is a man with exceptional talent, but he is also a humble person. He helps others in many ways. He will do any task when he is needed. Once he left his $2.5 million, 300-year-old cello in a New York City taxicab. Fortunately, he got it back unharmed. After that he recorded a message that was played in New York City taxis. The message reminded passengers to take their belongings with them. Ma laughed at himself for being so forgetful. Ma loves to spend time with his family. Every July he takes the month off to be with them. In 1977, he married Jill Horner, a violinist. They have two children, Nicholas and Emily. Ma's older sister, Yeou-Cheng Ma, is also a violinist. Her husband is a guitarist. Together the family runs the Children's Orchestra Society in Long Island, New York.

Ma is very happy playing music. He believes it is his destiny. But like everyone, Ma has had some hard times in his life. In 1980, he found out that he had scoliosis, a condition where the spine is curved. Ma thought his career was over, and he was very unhappy. Finally he decided to have an operation. It was a success. Ma learned from his hardship. He learned to enjoy the things he was given. He learned to always make the best of things.

Yo-Yo Ma currently has an organization called Silk Road. He believes that music is a universal language that brings people together. Silk Road brings together composers and musicians from ten different countries around the world. They write and play both traditional and classical music. Ma plays with Silk Road. He also continues to give his own performances in concert halls and many other places. With his moving and inspirational music, he brings joy to people around the world.

Complete each definition with one of the following. Guess your answers, and then check them with a dictionary.
1. are recorded music for movies.
2. If you , you moved your body toward what was in front of you.
3. If a person can do many things, he or she is .
4. A person who of a school or organization stopped attending or participating in courses and other activities.
5. Something is if it causes you to have creative feelings or ideas that you didn't have before.
6. To be is to be farther along, to know more or have more ability.
7. A person goes against the rules.
8. Something is unusual in a good way.
9. To of people is to cause them to feel deep emotion.
10. Something that everyone can understand or experience is .