YO-YO MA Yo-Yo Ma is a French-born Chinese American virtuoso cellist, considered one of the finest in the world. Ma was born in Paris to Chinese parents and had a musical upbringing. His mother, Marina Lu, was a singer, while his father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma, was a conductor and composer. Ma began to study the violin, then the viola, before taking up the cello. His family moved to New York when he was seven years old.