Yo-Yo Ma
American cellist
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2024 | Honored with the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal, recognizing his lifelong contributions to music. |
December 7 2024 | Ma performed the prelude of the First Cello Suite from Bach during the reopening of Notre-Dame in Paris. |
2022 | Received honorary doctorates from Stony Brook University and Columbia University, and was awarded the Birgit Nilsson Prize. |
2022 | Yo-Yo Ma received the Birgit Nilsson Prize, awarded for his exceptional contributions to the world of music. |
2022 | Yo-Yo Ma made a cameo appearance as himself in the Netflix film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. |
2021 | Awarded an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College and received the prestigious Praemium Imperiale. |
2021 | Yo-Yo Ma was awarded the Praemium Imperiale, recognizing his contributions to global art and culture. |
September 2021 | Ma contributed to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist, released in September, backing Miley Cyrus on a cover of 'Nothing Else Matters.' |
September 14 2021 | Yo-Yo Ma again performed Bach's six cello suites at the Hollywood Bowl, without intermission. |
June 13 2021 | Yo-Yo Ma was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, where he shared his musical choices and the significance of his career. |
March 2021 | Ma played 'Ave Maria' in an impromptu concert after receiving his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Berkshire Community College. |
January 20 2021 | Ma's performance of 'Amazing Grace' was played during the inauguration of Joe Biden, pre-recorded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
2020 | Yo-Yo Ma received the Asia Game Changer Award from the Asia Society for his impact on society through music. |
2020 | Yo-Yo Ma was named one of Times 100 Most Influential People, highlighting his influence in the cultural sphere. |
September 1 2020 | Yo-Yo Ma and the same group of musicians performed a virtual concert of songs from Not Our First Goat Rodeo on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts. |
June 19 2020 | The same group of musicians who recorded The Goat Rodeo Sessions, including Yo-Yo Ma, released a second album titled Not Our First Goat Rodeo. |
2019 | Received honorary doctorates from the University of Oxford and Dartmouth College, further cementing his international academic and musical recognition. |
2019 | Ma directed the orchestra at the annual Youth Music Culture Guangdong. |
June 20 2019 | Ma performed the Bach Complete Cello Suites at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago, attracting a large audience. |
May 1 2019 | Yo-Yo Ma performed at Paranal Observatory in the Atacama desert, motivated by his interest in astronomy. |
2018 | Yo-Yo Ma participated in NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts. |
November 11 2018 | Ma performed at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris during a ceremony marking the centenary of the armistice that ended World War I. |
September 12 2017 | Yo-Yo Ma performed all six of Bach's cello suites at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. |
2016 | Yo-Yo Ma was appointed as a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters for his contributions to the arts. |
2015 | He performed with James Taylor on three tracks of Taylor's chart-topping album Before This World: You And I Again. |
October 5 2015 | Yo-Yo Ma appeared on Colbert's new program, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, in support of ballerina Misty Copeland and celebrated his upcoming 60th birthday. |
September 9 2015 | Ma performed all six of Bach's cello suites at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms season. |
2014 | Yo-Yo Ma was honored with the Fred Rogers Legacy Award, stating it was perhaps the greatest honor he ever received. |
2013 | Inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame and awarded the Vilcek Prize in Contemporary Music. |
2013 | Yo-Yo Ma received the Vilcek Prize in Contemporary Music for his contributions to contemporary classical music. |
2013 | Yo-Yo Ma was inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame, honoring his significant contributions to classical music. |
April 18 2013 | Yo-Yo Ma performed at an interfaith service honoring the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. |
2012 | Awarded the Polar Music Prize, further cementing his international musical reputation. |
2012 | Yo-Yo Ma was awarded the Polar Music Prize, an international prize recognizing outstanding achievements in music. |
2012 | Yo-Yo Ma received the Songlines Music Awards for Best Cross-Cultural Collaboration for The Goat Rodeo Sessions. |
2011 | Received two major honors: the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Kennedy Center Honors, recognizing his cultural impact. |
2011 | Ma performed with American dancer Charles 'Lil Buck' Riley at the U.S.-China Forum on the Arts and Culture. |
2011 | Yo-Yo Ma was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his impactful contributions to the cultural heritage of the United States. |
2011 | Yo-Yo Ma received the Kennedy Center Honors, recognizing his lifetime contributions to American culture. |
November 1 2011 | Yo-Yo Ma returned to The Colbert Report to perform songs from the album The Goat Rodeo Sessions with musicians Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile. |
2010 | Ma was recognized by President Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he received in February 2011. |
2010 | He was named the Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. |
2010 | Ma launched the Citizen Musician initiative in partnership with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's music director, Riccardo Muti. |
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