Yo-Yo Ma (b. 1955) is perhaps the world's most famous cellist.
In the 1980s, Ma made several appearances on Sesame Street. He also contributed a "Barbecued Spareribs with Beer and Honey" recipe for Miss Piggy's 1996 cookbook, In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy.
In December 2011, Elmo appeared at the Kennedy Center Honors to help honor Ma.
Sesame Street appearances
- Ma appears by himself in the arbor and plays Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007. (EKA: Episode 2443)
- Appearing with a Honker, Ma plays a piece that Bob guesses is by Ludwig van Beethoven. Ma corrects him: it's a piece by Murray Beethoven. (EKA: Episode 2447)
- Elmo sees Ma's cello and thinks it's a "big fiddle" that belongs to Mr. Snuffleupagus, in contrast to Elmo's "little fiddle" (a violin). When Bob and Yo-Yo Ma straighten things out, he and Elmo play music together. (EKA: Episode 2505)
- Hoots the Owl challenges Ma to make the same sounds with his cello that Hoots made with his saxophone. (EKA: Episode 3729)
