brilliant Chinese cellist; b. Paris, Oct. 7, 1955. Ma was born into a musical family active in Paris, his father a violinist, and his mother a MEZZOSOPRANO. He began to study violin as a young child, then graduated to the VIOLA, and finally the CELLO.

Ma was taken to N.Y. when he was seven. When he was nine he enrolled at the Juilliard School of Music, where his principal teachers were Leonard Rose and Janos Scholz. He subsequently received additional training at Harvard University. He quickly established a reputation as a master of the cello in his appearances with the great orchestras of the world, as a recitalist, and as a chamber music player. He has been deservedly acclaimed for his unostentatious musicianship, his superlative technical resources, and the remarkable tone of his melodious lyricism. He was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize in 1978.

In order to extend his repertoire, he made a number of effective transcriptions for his instrument. He also promoted contemporary works and was the soloist in the premieres of the cello concertos of Christopher Rouse (Los Angeles, Jan. 23, 1994) and JOHN WILLIAMS (Tanglewood, Mass., July 7, 1994).