Carnegie Hall

Lang Lang is a leading figure in classical music today. As a pianist, educator, and philanthropist, he has become one of the world’s most influential and committed ambassadors for the arts in the 21st century. Equally happy playing for billions of viewers at the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing or just for a few hundred children in a public school, he is a master of communicating through music.

Heralded by The New York Times as “the hottest artist on the classical music planet,” Lang Lang plays sold-out concerts all around the world. He has formed ongoing partnerships with conductors who include Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Barenboim, and Christoph Eschenbach. Lang Lang is known for thinking outside the box and frequently steps into different musical worlds, including his performances at the televised Grammy Awards with Metallica, Pharrell Williams, and Herbie Hancock.

In 2008, Lang Lang founded the Lang Lang International Music Foundation to cultivate tomorrow’s top pianists, champion music education at the forefront of technology, and build a young audience through live music experiences. In 2013, he was designated by the Secretary General of the United Nations as a Messenger of Peace as a result of his focus on global education.

Lang Lang started playing the piano at age three, and gave his first public recital before the age of five. He entered Beijing’s Central Music Conservatory at nine and won first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians at 13. He subsequently went to Philadelphia to study with legendary pianist Gary Graffman at the Curtis Institute of Music. He was 17 when his big break came, substituting for André Watts at the Gala of the Century, playing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach.

Lang Lang’s boundless drive to attract new audiences to classical music has brought him tremendous recognition. He was presented with the 2010 Crystal Award and was picked as one of the Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum. He is also the recipient of honorary doctorates from the Royal College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and New York University. In December 2011, he was honored with the highest prize awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, and received the highest civilian honors in Germany (Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) and France (Medal of the Order of Arts and Letters). In 2016, Lang Lang was invited to the Vatican to perform for Pope Francis. He has also performed for numerous other international dignitaries, including four US presidents and monarchs from many nations.

For more information, visit langlangofficial.com.