Lang Lang - Piano Prodigy
Childhood
Born in Shenyang, China in 1982. He started playing the piano at the tender age of 3. At five years old he gave his first recital. He would later on study at the Central Music Conservatory in Beijing. When he was 13, Lang Lang placed first during the Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians' Competition held in Japan. In 1997, he left for the United States to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he was offered a scholarship. Once there, he studied under the tutelage of Gary Graffman.
Rise to Fame
In 1998 he made his American debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In 1999, André Watts was supposed to perform at the Ravinia Festival's “Gala of the Century” held in Highland Park, Illinois. Due to health problems, André Watts couldn't make it and Lang Lang stepped in. Lang Lang performed Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. That performance brought him astounding praise and recognition.
Notable Performances and Awards
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In 2001 he performed at Carnegie Hall with the Baltimore Symphony.
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Also in 2001, he performed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
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In 2002 he received the first Leonard Bernstein Award.
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At the end of 2003, he performed with the Berlin Philharmonic.
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In 2004, he went on a U.S. tour.
- His self titled debut album was released in 2001, followed in 2002 by Lang Lang Live at the Proms and Lang Lang Live at Carnegie Hall in 2004. He released another CD in 2005 featuring works by Paganini and Rachmaninov.
Today, Lang Lang is still very much in the forefront of music, performing in packed venues, with future projects lined up.
