Passionate player, passionate teacher: A student smiles as Lang Lang animatedly shares pointers. (Photo : Lang Lang International Music Foundation/Facebook)
Despite the global eminence brought to him by the wonders of his talent and skill in playing the piano, Lang Lang seems to manage how to keep his feet on the ground as demonstrated in a recent interview.
Veering away from further discussion regarding the performance he did with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on May 21 in Chicago, Lang Lang decided to share his thoughts about music and the ideal role of pianists like him and his charity works during a post-concert interview with Xinhua.
Lang Lang told Xinhua that music should be shared and that a pianist should serve as “a cultural ambassador or a bridge builder between cultures.”
He also said that he was happy about the improvements shown by his students.
The 33-year-old Shenyang-born musician founded the Lang Lang International Music Foundation in 2008 “to educate, inspire and motivate the next generation of classical music lovers and performers . . . [to] encourage music performance at all levels as a means of social development for youth, building self-confidence and a drive for excellence,” according to the organization’s website.
Since May 23, the foundation has been entertaining applications for the Allianz Junior Music Camp 2016 to be held on Nov. 2-8 in Warsaw, Poland. Interested kids aged 13 years old and below have until Aug. 14 to apply.
AJMC took place in Munich, Germany; Barcelona, Spain; and Vienna, Austria, in the previous years.
Lang Lang welcomed May with a performance at the Carnegie Hall’s 125th anniversary on May 5, according to the website of this renowned concert venue in New York City.
Grammy Award-winning Chinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma also performed during the milestone event hosted by American actor Richard Gere.
He played Sergei Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1 “for a sold-out audience” along with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Beijing National Center for the Performing Arts on May 24, according to Philly.com.
The orchestra, currently on an Asian tour, earlier performed on May 22 at the Shanghai International Tourism Resort Zone alongside members of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and on its own at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
Lang Lang will charm anew with his performance of Bela Bartok’s Piano Concerto No. 2 at the Jacksonville Symphony Gala on Feb. 17, 2017, reported Metro Jacksonville.
“One of the most energetic and captivating musicians on today’s stage, I know he will thrill our audiences with Bartok’s Second Piano Concerto,” said Courtney Lewis, the event’s music director.
