NPR Classical

By Tom Huizenga

Published June 20, 2019 at 1:01 PM EDT

Yo-Yo Ma just turned 70. Mark the occasion with this essential Yo-Yo playlist.

Updated October 9, 2025 at 10:18 AM EDT

Updated Oct. 9, 2025: Hats off to Yo-Yo Ma, the cellist and self-described "venture culturalist" who just turned 70. Hear tracks that embrace traditions from around the world, from Bach to bossa nova, with a wide-range of collaborators, from Angelique Kidjo to Ma's own Silk Road Ensemble.

Need a deep discovery experience? Try 1,000 years of music in this playlist from NPR Classical's Tom Huizenga, which explores everything from new releases to old favorites, and classics from the dawn of the recording era. Our mantra: Bach, Beethoven, before and beyond.

Stream: Spotify

From NPR Music

Tom Huizenga

Tom Huizenga is a producer for NPR Music. He contributes a wide range of stories about classical music to NPR's news programs and is the classical music reviewer for All Things Considered. He appears regularly on NPR Music podcasts and founded NPR's classical music blog Deceptive Cadence in 2010.

See stories by Tom Huizenga