Lang Lang

Lang Lang is one of the most influential artists of our time – an outstanding pianist, a passionate educator, and a tireless advocate for the arts. Few musicians can engage with their audience with such immediacy: whether performing for billions at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2020 Dubai Expo, the 2024 reopening of Notre-Dame in Paris, or playing with children in a classroom – Lang Lang consistently brings the same joy, determination, and artistry to each of his performances. Lang Lang's concerts are sold out worldwide. He collaborates with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Barenboim, and Andris Nelsons, and performs with all the world's major orchestras. He constantly seeks new musical avenues, bringing classical music to diverse audiences – most recently in collaboration with Disney. Millions watched his performances with Metallica, Pharrell Williams, and Herbie Hancock at the GRAMMY® Awards, as well as with Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, and John Legend at the One World: Together at Home concert in 2020. He has also performed with international stars like Ed Sheeran, Rosé from BLACKPINK, J Balvin, and Jay Chou. Through the Lang Lang International Music Foundation (LLIMF), which he founded in 2008, he has made a significant contribution to music education internationally. The non-profit organization is dedicated to nurturing and motivating young musicians and inspiring young audiences through live music – based on the belief that "all children should have access to music and music education, regardless of their background or circumstances." Its flagship program, "Keys of Inspiration," brings group piano instruction to public schools, primarily in underserved communities in the US, UK, and China, using music to foster creativity, discipline, and self-confidence. In March 2025, the LLIMF announced its "She’s a Star" program, launched six months prior at a girls' school in London, would expand to additional schools worldwide – with the goal of empowering young women to build and succeed in careers in the creative industries. A month later, the foundation launched the global "Music Heals" initiative, which aims to support children facing serious illness or grief through music. Lang Lang has also helped bring piano playing to even more people in the UK – for example, as a judge in the first two seasons of the successful Channel 4 show The Piano. Music as a natural part of daily life is important to him. His recent highlights include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the premiere and recording of the newly discovered Waltz in A minor Found in New York, believed to be by Chopin, and his performance of Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 at the reopening celebrations of Notre-Dame. As a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and a UN Messenger of Peace, Lang Lang was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World. In 2017, after renewing his contract with Deutsche Grammophon, he recorded a selection of his favorite pieces to inspire piano students of all ages. The album Piano Book became the world's best-selling classical recording in 2019. In 2020, Lang Lang recorded two contrasting versions of Bach's Goldberg Variations – first live at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, then again in the studio. The album was released in September of the same year, with an expanded version following in February 2021. His next project, The Disney Book, featured songs from well-known Disney films specially arranged for him and was released in September 2022; an expanded edition followed a year later. The album featured global stars such as Andrea Bocelli, Sebastián Yatra, and Jon Batiste. Lang Lang – Saint-Saëns was released in March 2024 and includes both solo pieces and orchestral recordings with the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and Andris Nelsons. For this album, Lang Lang was honored with two OPUS KLASSIK awards: Instrumentalist of the Year 2024 and Bestseller of the Year 2025. His latest album is a continuation of the highly successful Piano Book and brings together more "masterpieces in miniature" – from essential classics to contemporary pieces and music from the film and gaming worlds. Piano Book 2 will be released on October 17, 2025. The pianist's extensive discography also includes concertos by Bartók, Beethoven, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky; the recital album Live at Carnegie Hall; Memory; Dragon Songs; The Chopin Album; Liszt – My Piano Hero; chamber music by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, and film scores by Tan Dun and Alexandre Desplat. Lang Lang began playing piano at the age of three and gave his first public concert before he was five. At nine, he entered the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, and at thirteen, he won first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. He then moved to Philadelphia to study with the legendary pianist Gary Graffman at the Curtis Institute of Music. At seventeen, he achieved his international breakthrough when he stepped in for André Watts at the "Gala of the Century" concert, playing Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach: overnight, he became a sensation, with invitations from the world's most prestigious orchestras following. His sustained commitment to inspiring new audiences for classical music has earned him widespread recognition. In addition to the 2010 Crystal Award in Davos and being named one of the 250 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum, he has also received several honorary doctorates, including from the Royal College of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and New York University. Not only was he nominated for a GRAMMY®, but he is also a recipient of a Classic Brit Award and several ECHO and OPUS KLASSIK awards. In 2019, he became the first Chinese musician to receive an Honorary Victoire de la Musique Classique. Lang Lang has been awarded the highest prize from the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China, as well as the highest civilian honors from Germany (Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) and France (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres). In 2016, he was invited to the Vatican to perform for Pope Francis, and he has also performed for numerous international dignitaries, including four US Presidents and monarchs from many nations. 8/2025