Heralded as the “hottest artist on the classical music planet” by
the New York Times, the star, 29 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 Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin
Philharmonic and all the top American orchestras.
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. In 2008, over four billion people viewed Lang
Lang’s performance in Beijing’s opening ceremony for the Games of the
XXIX Olympiad, where he was seen as a symbol of the youth and the future
of China. This status has inspired over 40 million Chinese children to
learn to play classical piano – a phenomenon coined 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 to the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and played at
the opening ceremony.
Continuing his presence on the world stage, Lang Lang was featured at
the 2008 Grammy® Awards, pairing up with jazz great Herbie Hancock for
an astounding performance that was broadcasted live to 45 million
viewers worldwide. The two pianists continued their collaboration with
an inaugural world tour in summer 2009.
For nearly a decade Lang Lang has been giving back to children around
the world through volunteer activities as diverse as mentoring rising
young talented pianists, convening 100 piano students in concert,
performing for sick children in hospi¬tals, delivering classical music
recitals in underserved and remote communities, and donating his musical
talents to raise awareness of other charitable causes. Lang Lang’s
charitable efforts led to the recent launch of the Lang Lang
International Music Foundation with the mission of inspiring the next
generation of classical music lovers and performers by cultivating
tomorrow’s top pianists, championing music education at the forefront of
technology, and building a young audience through live music
experiences. Through the strategic work of his new foundation which is
committed to children and music education, Lang Lang works with
exceptional partners to inspire young people to believe that music can
make life better. The Financial Times once described Lang Lang as
“evangelical in his efforts to spread the popularity of classical
music.” In May 2009, Lang Lang and his three chosen young scholars from
the foundation – aged between 6 and 10 years old – performed together on
The Oprah Winfrey Show on "Oprah's Search for the World's Most Smartest
and Most Talented Kids." Lang Lang is deeply committed to creating and
participating in programs that bring sustained interest for music into
the lives of children. As he noted after the Foundation launch event, “I
have taken on a second career!”
In 2011, the Lang Lang Music World was launched, which is a
multi-functioning arts complex located in Shenzhen and Chongqing, China,
where children can go to receive piano education, participate in master
classes and competitions, attend concerts and purchase Lang Lang-brand
educational products. With the mission of sharing Lang Lang’s global
view, experiences and knowledge in piano education, the Lang Lang Music
World nurtures and provides exclusive opportunities for young talent
through its unique platform.
Lang Lang continues to give master classes regularly throughout the
world at the invitation of the most prestigious music institutions,
including the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, Manhattan
School of Music and Hanover Conservatory, as well as all the top
conservatories in China where he holds honorary professorships. He has
held music residencies, which include master classes for exceptional
students, in Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, London, Rome and
Stockholm. 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 the 2010-11 Season, Lang Lang performed at the opening night of
Christoph Eschenbach’s inaugural season with the National Symphony
Orchestra as well as the opening of Carnegie Hall season with Vienna
Philharmonic. The Salle Pleyel in Paris presented the “Lang Lang
Festival” which included a joint concert between Lang Lang and Roberto
Alagna; the Southbank Center in London presented the “Lang Lang
Inspires” which included the “Massed Piano Project”, on which he played
with 100 young pianists on 51 pianos. In addition, he performed on the
New Year’s Eve concert with the New York Philharmonic at the Lincoln
Center, also held residencies in Milan, Madrid and Sydney.
In the 2011-12 Season, he will be the Creative Director of the Ascent
Series at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and hold residency. At the
beginning of the Season, he will perform at the San Francisco Symphony’s
100th Anniversary Gala concert and the Last Night Proms at the Royal
Albert Hall in London. In addition, he will be on tour with the
Concertgebouw, Vienna Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic.
His biography, Journey of a Thousand Miles, published by Random House in
eleven languages, 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.
Tens of thousands of people have enjoyed Lang Lang’s performances in
open-air concerts in parks and venues around the globe, including
Central Park in New York City, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Ravinia
Festival in Chicago, Theaterplatz in Dresden and Derby Park in Hamburg.
Lang Lang participated in the opening concert at Munich's Olympic
Stadium with Mariss Jansons, marking the commencement of the World Cup
Games. In celebratory concerts for the closing of 2008 Euro Cup finals,
Lang Lang played with the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin
Mehta in front of Schönbrunn Palace.
Continuing his work with world-famous conductors, Lang Lang has
performed under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle with the Berlin
Philharmonic at the Waldbühne, Daniel Barenboim with the Staatskapelle
Berlin at the Philharmonie, and Seiji Ozawa for the New Year’s Eve gala
opening of the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.
In December 2007, Lang Lang was guest soloist at the Nobel Prize
concert in Stockholm, an event attended by Nobel Laureates and members
of the Royal Family. He returned as soloist for the 2009 Nobel Peace
Prize award ceremony and concert for President Barack Obama.
Lang Lang has become the face of numerous global campaigns. Steinway
has recognized Lang Lang's popularity with children by creating five
versions of the “Lang Lang™ Steinway” designed for early music
education. This is the first time in its 150-year history that Steinway
has ever used an artist’s name to produce pianos. Lang Lang is also a
global brand ambassador for Sony Electronics, with whom he anticipates
achieving innovative and creative possibilities for the future. Lang
Lang recently signed on to represent Aegon's worldwide financial
services, and he is proud to continue his relationship with Audi
Automobiles as their Global Brand Ambassador. .
Lang Lang began playing piano at the age of 3, and by the age of 5,
he had won the Shenyang Competition and had given his first public
recital. Entering Beijing’s Central Music Conservatory at age 9, he won
first prize at the Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians Competition
and played the complete 24 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 a Tchaikovsky concerto with the Chicago Symphony.
Following this gigantic debut, he performed successful concerts around
the world. The Times in London remarked: “Lang Lang took a sold-out
Albert Hall by storm… This could well be history in the making.”
Lang Lang has made numerous TV appearances, including The Today Show,
the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Good Morning America, CBS Early Show
and 60 Minutes among many others. He has been featured on every major TV
network and in news and lifestyle magazines worldwide, including such
diverse publications as The New Yorker, Esquire, Vogue, The Times,
Financial Times, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Die Welt, Reader’s Digest and People.
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.
Lang Lang has performed for numerous international dignitaries
including the former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan,
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President Barack Obama, George H. W.
Bush, George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II, President Hu Jin-Tao of China, President Horst Koehler of Germany,
H.R.H. Prince Charles, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, French
President Nicolas Sarkozy and Poland President Lech Kaczynski. Most
recently, he performed for President Barack Obama and President Hu
Jin-tao at the White House State Dinner.
In 2004, Lang Lang 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 and Haiti. These efforts included auctioning the red Steinway
piano played during his 2008 New York Central Park concert, donating the
net proceeds to the American Red Cross China Earthquake fund, and
organizing a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall, donating the net proceeds
to UNICEF’s Earthquake Relief Fund in Haiti. As Chairman of the
Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award Project, Lang Lang
celebrates another aspect of arts commitment. He also currently serves
on the Weill Music Institute Advisory Committee as part of Carnegie
Hall’s educational program and is the youngest member of Carnegie Hall’s
Artistic Advisory Board. He has been added as one of the 250 Young
Global Leaders picked by the World Economic Forum and received the 2010
Crystal Award in Davos. In May 2011, Lang Lang received an Honorary
Doctorate of Music from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at the
Royal College of Music.
Lang Lang is the featured soloist on the Golden Globe® winning score
“The Painted Veil” composed by Alexandre Desplat and can be heard on the
soundtrack of “The Banquet” composed by Tan Dun. 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 Maestro 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® Award, 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; past
recipients have included Zubin Mehta and Luciano Pavarotti. Lang Lang
recently recorded the movie soundtrack of the Japanese blockbuster film
“Nodame Cantabile,” Chopin 24 Etudes for “Project Chopin” (the largest
project in honor of Chopin’s bicentenary) ,“Nuit De Mai” with Placido
Domingo and performed the opening sequence for Gran Turismo, the most
successful videogame of our time. In February 2010, Lang Lang joined
Sony Music Entertainment as an exclusive recording artist; his first
album with Sony features a live recording of his 2010 recital at
Vienna’s legendary Musikverein.