Lang Lang

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Heralded as the “hottest artist on the classical music planet” by The New York Times, 27-year-old LANG LANG has played sold-out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world and is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the top American orchestras.
 
As testimony to his success, Lang Lang recently appeared in the 2009 Time 100 —Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. This status has inspired over 35 million Chinese children to learn to play classical piano — a phenomenon dubbed by the Today Show as “the Lang Lang effect.” Recognizing Lang Lang’s powerful cultural influence, in 2008 the Recording Academy named him their Cultural Ambassador to China. Most recently, Lang Lang has been chosen as an official worldwide ambassador of the 2010 Shanghai Expo.
 
Lang Lang has made it his mission to share classical music around the world, with an emphasis on training children and young musicians through education and outreach programs. To that effect, in October 2008 he launched the Lang Lang International Music Foundation in New York with the support of the Grammys and UNICEF. The Foundation was created to enrich the lives of children through a deeper understanding and enjoyment of classical music and to inspire and financially support the next generation of musicians.
 
Lang Lang also continues to give master classes regularly throughout the world at the invitation of the most prestigious music institutions, including the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Hanover Conservatory, as well as all the top conservatories of China, where he holds honorary professorships. In addition to his numerous commitments, Lang Lang holds the title of the first Ambassador of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. His role in this groundbreaking project created by YouTube and Google reflects his devotion to building new audiences and bringing classical music to young people worldwide.
 
In 2009, Lang Lang continues his busy touring schedule. He will be a featured highlight of the Carnegie Hall festival “Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: Celebrating Chinese Culture,” where he will premiere Chen Qigang’s new piano concerto, Er Huang, and close the festival with a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He will also present “Lang Lang and Friends,” featuring rising talent from the United States and China performing works by Western and Chinese composers. In addition, the Vienna Musikverein will present the Lang Lang Fest, including a joint concert between Lang Lang and Cecilia Bartoli. Lang Lang will also be in residence with the Berlin Philharmonic — where, among other shows, he will perform on the New Year’s Eve concert with 100 school children from Berlin. Furthermore, Lang Lang will also be featured in a special tour of Japan with the Vienna Philharmonic.
 
In 2008, his biography, Journey of a Thousand Miles, was released to critical acclaim. As part of his commitment to the education of children, he released a version of his autobiography specifically for younger readers, entitled Playing with Flying Keys.
 
Lang Lang began playing piano at the age of three; by the age of five he had won the Shenyang competition and had given his first public recital. Entering Beijing’s Central Music Conservatory at age nine, he won first prize at the Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians Competition and played the complete Chopin Études at the Beijing Concert Hall at age 13. Lang Lang’s break into stardom came at age 17 when he was called upon for a dramatic last-minute substitution at the “Gala of the Century,” playing the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Chicago Symphony. Following this debut, he performed successful concerts around the world. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as the “biggest, most exciting keyboard talent encountered in many years,” Lang Lang has progressed from one triumphant appearance to the next.
 
In 2004, he was appointed International Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Lang Lang has contributed and worked to raise funds and awareness for earthquake relief efforts in China. This included auctioning the red Steinway piano played during his 2008 New York Central Park concert and donating the net proceeds to the American Red Cross China Earthquake fund.
 
Lang Lang is featured soloist on the Golden Globe-winning score The Painted Veil, composed by Alexandre Desplat, and he can be heard on the soundtrack for The Banquet, composed by Tan Dun. Lang Lang records exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon/Universal. All of his albums have entered the top classical charts as well as many pop charts around the globe. His album of the First and Fourth Beethoven Piano Concertos with L’Orchestre de Paris and Christoph Eschenbach debuted at #1 on the Classical Billboard Chart. Lang Lang also appeared on Billboard’s New Artist chart at the highest position ever for a classical artist. In 2007, he was nominated for a Grammy, becoming the first Chinese artist to be nominated for Best Instrumental Soloist. He was honored by the Recording Academy with the 2007 Presidential Merit Award. Lang Lang’s latest recording is Chopin’s Piano Concertos with Zubin Mehta conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.