At the OMF, we're always looking for inspiring and relatable role models for our young musicians. Who better to inspire our amazing OMF cello class than world-famous cellist, Yo-Yo Ma?
Yo-Yo Ma was born in Paris to Chinese parents, before moving to USA when Yo-Yo was seven. By the time Yo-Yo was 3 years old, he could already play the drums, violin, piano and viola, finally settling on the cello at the age of 3 and studying at the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York. Since then, Yo-Yo has gone onto perform all over the world; recorded over 90 albums (of which 19 have won a grammy); played on numerous film soundtracks; and even start his own group, the Silk Road Collective, which explores music from Europe and Asia.
To introduce our young cellists to Yo-Yo and his music, we spent an afternoon exploring YouTube videos of Yo-Yo playing in orchestras, with breakdancers and even on Sesame Street! We then had a go at putting together our very own version of Beethoven's well-known melody, Ode to Joy, with the help of OMF cello teacher Polly Virr and inspired by Yo-Yo Ma. A big thank you to our friend and videographer, Tom Doona, for putting together this fabulous video of the experience! Keep up the good work kids :)