Cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s Apple Music Interview: “The Magic of Music, Nature, & the Future”

The American cellist is featured on the Zane Lowe Show discussing his life and his music

Having interviewed countless acclaimed artists on his show on Apple Music, DJ and presenter Zane Lowe recently sat down with cellist Yo-Yo Ma to discuss the latter’s upbringing in Paris and transition to moving to America as a child.

In discussing his relationship with nature, and the dynamic he hopes to cultivate with younger generations through sharing knowledge, Ma also emphasized the significance of spaces like Apple Music Classical to continue passing down the gift of music from generation to generation.

“I [was] almost 50 years old before I realized … yes, I do this, I love music, I love playing music, but what I really have always been passionate about is understanding things around me, understanding people, understanding nature, [and] understanding why people do what they [do],” Ma said in the interview. 

“When you're on stages that many would consider to be some of the most, in a conventional sense, high pressure environments — a lot of cameras, a lot of important people [or an] important anniversary — something that’s very emotive and requires music in order to create a healing experience,” Lowe stated. “The stakes are high … and you put yourself in that situation because you're drawn to the idea of sharing your gift and being a part of that experience. You do so safe in the knowledge that you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Yeah, and that you can actually look someone in the eye and be comfortable enough [to say that],” Ma responded. “I don't succeed in doing that a lot of the time [but] that doesn’t mean that that’s not my goal — my goal is not to prove to anybody that I'm the smartest person or the most able person in the world, because I'm not … I'm just me … that's it, I can't give you more, but I commit myself to give you the best of what I can do.”

The full episode, “Yo-Yo Ma: The Magic of Music, Nature, & the Future,” can be viewed below.