Some musicians become really good at playing by practicing their instrument for years, if not decades, until their skills are perfectly polished, but cellist Yo-Yo Ma was born talented.
In fact, his immense talent earned him a spot playing for John F. Kennedy, among others, at The American Pageant of the Arts back in 1962- when he was just 7 years old.
Yo-Yo took the stage with his sister Yeou-Cheng Ma at the show which was emceed by Leonard Bernstein, who introduced Yo-Yo and Yeou-Cheng with this speech that makes me long for more welcoming days in America:
That double stream of art I mentioned earlier flowing into and out of America has long been the attraction of our country to foreign artists and scientists and thinkers who have come not only to visit us, but often to join us as Americans. To become citizens of what to us has historically been the land of opportunity and to others the land of freedom. And in this great tradition there has come to us this year a young man aged seven bearing the name Yo-Yo Ma.
-Via Laughing Squid