"As musicians, we transcend technique in order to seek out the truths in our world in a way that gives meaning and sustenance to individuals and communities. That’s art for life’s sake."
Yo-Yo - born 1955 in Paris. Yo-Yo is a United Nations Messenger of Peace, first artist ever appointed to the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees, member of the board of Nia Tero, US-based nonprofit working in solidarity with Indigenous peoples and movements worldwide. Founder of the global music collective Silkroad.
-Received the Avery Fisher Prize (1978), National Medal of the Arts Presidential, Medal of Freedom, Kennedy Center Honors, Polar Music Prize, Birgit Nilsson Prize (2022).
Yo-Yo Ma has performed for nine American presidents, most recently President Biden’s inauguration.