YO-YO MA IN HIS OWN WORDS

On what matters most: “I’m a human first, a citizen second, a musician third, a cellist fourth.”

ON fiNDING YOUR VOICE:

“4he worst thing you can do is say to yourself, ‘I want to be just like somebody else.’ You have to absorb knowledge from someone else, but ultimately you have to find your own voice.”

ON PRACTISING MUSIC:

“Mastering music is more than learning technical skills. Practising is about quality, not quantity. Some days I practise for hours; other days it will be just a few minutes.”

ON HIS GREATEST FEAR:

“For me, it has to be very large bugs.”

ON PLAYING the cello:

“I was given a violin when I was little and I just sounded horrible. I didn’t do anything until I saw a double bass at the Paris Conservatory. I said I wanted to play it. We compromised on the cello.”