The Founder Who Performed for President Kennedy at 11 Years Old
The Founder Who Performed for President John F. Kennedy at 11 Years Old
Some people spend their lives trying to get into rooms where history happens.
Dr. Yeou-Cheng Ma was already there at 11 years old.
Long before becoming a pediatric physician, educator, and internationally recognized advocate for music and healing, Dr. Ma performed for President John F. Kennedy alongside her younger brother, Yo-Yo Ma, during “An American Pageant of the Arts” in 1962 after her family immigrated from Paris to the United States. The performance was introduced by the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein.
At an age when most children are still discovering their interests, Dr. Ma was already performing on one of the most prestigious stages in the country in front of the President of the United States.
But what makes her story remarkable is not simply early talent.
It’s what she chose to do with it afterward.
Born in Paris to Chinese parents, Dr. Ma gave her first public performance at age seven and later won the French National Competition “Royaume de la Musique.”
By age ten, she was already performing the Mendelssohn Concerto with the Denver Symphony Orchestra.
Yet despite a world-class musical trajectory, her path expanded far beyond the stage.
Dr. Ma graduated from Radcliffe and Harvard Medical School and dedicated her life to serving children with developmental disorders through medicine, education, and the arts. She studied Spanish in Puerto Rico.
Today, she works with children in the Bronx through the Kennedy Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, serves as Medical Director for the Mount Vernon School District, teaches violin, viola, and chamber music through the Children's Orchestra Society in New York, and lectures internationally on music and healing.
Her story is a reminder that success does not have to fit inside one identity.
At FounderFuego®, this is one of the reasons we care so deeply about community. Because proximity matters.
Not just proximity to money or influence.
But proximity to people who expand your growth mindset and your understanding of what’s possible.
Inside the FounderFuego® ecosystem, conversations happen between founders, physicians, professionals, artists, educators, executives, nonprofit leaders, and creatives who learn from each other and our team to expand what they believe is possible.
Sometimes the greatest value in community is not just opportunity - it’s perspective.
Learn more about the Children's Orchestra Society and donate here if you feel moved by Dr. Ma's passion and story:
The Children's Orchestra Society
And during AANHPI Heritage Month, we are honored to spotlight Dr. Yeou-Cheng Ma and celebrate her extraordinary journey, leadership, musical brilliance, artistry, and impact.
Because sometimes proximity changes your perspective before it changes your business.
Join the FounderFuego® community for your chance to connect with Dr. Ma.
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