MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Who is Yo-Yo Ma's wife Jill Hornor? Inside love life of cellist who gave impromptu concert after Covid-19 jab

During his second shot of Covid-19 vaccine at Berkshire Community College recently, the world-famous cellist performed a short piece as the audience applauded his impromptu performance

Legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma recently got his second dose of Covid-19 vaccine and he decided to entertain the nearby people with his exceptional skills as he waited during the 15-minute observation period. The 65-year-old musician pulled-off a mini-concert for Massachusetts residents and he soon made headlines for his lovely gesture.

While sitting in the observation area wearing a mask at Berkshire Community College, the world-famous cellist performed a short piece as the audience applauded his impromptu performance. Yo-Yo Ma “wanted to give something back,” Richard Hall of the Berkshire Covid-19 Vaccine Collaborative told The Berkshire Eagle adding that it was a “very special” concert that capped the day’s vaccination event.
 
READ MORE

Who is Marvelous Marvin Hagler's wife Kay Guarrera? A look at boxing legend's love story after his death at 66

Who is Riko Shibata? Meet Nicolas Cage's fifth wife 31 years younger than him and 4 years younger than his son

Who is Yo-Yo Ma?

Born in Paris to Chinese parents, Ma is a child prodigy. He has been performing on stage since he was four years old. The Harvard University graduate has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world. Included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020, Yo-Yo Ma has recorded more than 90 albums and has also won the coveted Grammy Award 18 times. Yo-Yo Ma was honored with The Glenn Gould Prize in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 and Polar Music Prize in 2012. He has also been a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 2006.

Who is Yo-Yo Ma's wife Jill Hornor?

Yo-Yo Ma has been married to Jill Hornor since 1977. His wife is an arts consultant and the couple has two kids together, Nicholas and Emily, who are both in their 30’s now. Speaking of his wife’s profession, apart from being an art consultant, Jill Hornor is also a German professor. According to the website Biography Tribune, Jill who was inclined towards music from a very young age soon took up the violin as her hobby. She later got admission to Cornell University where she graduated with a degree in German literature. 

Yo-Yo Ma and Jill Hornor's love story

Yo-Yo Ma and Jill Hornor first met while he was studying at Harvard University and they soon began dating. According to the website SmithSonianMag, Ma performed Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont during one summer and that’s when he started dating Jill Hornor, who was a student at MountHolyoke. However, when the college ended, they went in different directions but stayed in touch and got married in 1977.

Speaking about his marriage to People magazine during the pandemic, Ma said, “I've been married 42 years and been gone for 27 touring. Now, being home during the pandemic has become normal. Jill hasn't kicked me out yet!” He also shed light when he met his wife for the first time saying, “Jill asked me questions that I couldn't answer because they had never been asked of me. Her parents moved to Germany when she was young, so she's bicultural and bilingual too. We don't necessarily share the same cultures, but the fact that we recognized something in one another was really interesting.” 

‘If Yo-Yo Ma ever gets canceled I will lose all hope’

Coming back to Yo-Yo Ma’s short but impromptu performance after his second Covid-19 jab, the news soon spread on the Internet like a wildfire. Social media users erupted with joy and took to Twitter to speak on the same.

One user said, “All vaccine sites should feature Yo-Yo Ma playing the Bach Cello Concertos. I demand this.” One added, “This is so beautiful.  Yo-Yo Ma is my all-time most listened artist, and his performance of Bach’s Unaccompanied Cello Suites is my desert island music.  What a gift to the world.” Another shared, “The most Yo-Yo Ma thing ever. He’s a Saint.” The next one asserted, “If yo-yo ma ever gets cancelled i will lose all hope.” One concluded, “I wonder how many people in the crowd must have thought they were listening to a run-of-the-mill busker, not knowing that, under the mask, was the incomparable Yo-Yo Ma.”