Yo-Yo Ma was born on the 7th October 1955, in Paris, France of Chinese ancestry. He is best known for being a cellist, who has released over 90 albums and thanks to his accomplishments has won 18 Grammy Awards. Yo-Yo is also recognized as a child prodigy, whose professional career began when he was only five years old, in 1961.
Have you ever wondered how rich is Yo-Yo Ma, as of early 2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that the overall size of Ma’s net worth is over $20 million. He has accumulated this sum of money during his successful career in the world of music. Another source is coming from his appearances in several TV series and shows.
Yo-Yo Ma Net Worth $20 Million
Yo-Yo Ma spent his childhood in Paris with father Hiao-Tsiun Ma, who was a violinist and worked as a professor of music at Nanjing University, and mother Marina Lu, who was a singer. So, under the influence of his family, from an early age he started learning to play several instruments, and as a five-year-old boy, he began performing. At the age of seven, he moved to New York with the family, where he went to The Juilliard School. Then he enrolled at Columbia University, but quit and moved to Harvard College, from which he graduated with a BA degree in 1976. Later, in 1991, he earned an honorary doctorate from the college. While in college, Ma became a member of the Marlboro Festival Orchestra, practicing with nonagenarian cellist and conductor Pablo Casals. Even before he became a part of the Marlboro Festival Orchestra, Ma played with several famous orchestras, and had also performed with the pianist Emanuel Ax. Yo-Yo Ma has performed with numerous notable musicians, such as Condoleezza Rice, Sting, and has also played at several political, social and sport events such as the inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama in 2009, on the aftermath of Boston Marathon bombings which was held at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, on the 2002`s Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony, and several others which have increased his net worth by a large degree.
He is also recognized for his friendship with Steve Jobs, and his dedication to Apple, as he performed at several events held by Apple, and also Ma`s video of himself playing some of Bach`s most memorable recordings was used to pay respect to Steve Jobs on the first anniversary of his death.
Over the years, Ma`s net worth also benefited from his involvement in movie soundtracks, as he is the one responsible for creating soundtracks for films such as “Seven Years In Tibet” (1997), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000), “Memoirs of a Geisha”, and several others.
Ma has also released more than 90 albums, which have also increased his net worth, and he is also a recipient of 18 Grammy Awards, and numerous other prestigious awards, such as Avery Fisher Prize, which he received in 1978, Glenn Gould Prize in 2011, Dan David Prize in 2006, among others. Ma was also awarded with National Medal of Arts in 2001, and ten years later he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2012 he was the recipient of the Polar Music Prize.
Regarding his personal life, Yo-Yo Ma has been married to Jill Hornor since 1978; the couple has two children, and their current residence is in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
