Exploring the Piano with Lang Lang and Friends
The concert for young classical music lovers was an incredible success!
On 17 April 2016 the ‘hottest artist on the classical music planet’, pianist Lang Lang made his 21st appearance at the Royal Albert Hall, hosting a one-time only concert for 5100 young people and children, in partnership with the Royal Albert Hall’s Education & Outreach program and the Lang Lang International Music Foundation™.
Lang Lang has been described by The Financial Times as “evangelical in his efforts to spread the popularity of classical music” through the Lang Lang International Music Foundation™. Two of the Foundation program’s students, Alasdair Howell (11) and George Harliono (15), will join Lang Lang at this special concert.
Children attended the concert were deeply inspired and motivated, check out there feedbacks in this video!
Lang Lang performing at the RAH 17-4-16
Sunday 17 April 2016
In this concert, Lang Lang as well as two of the Foundation program’s students – George Harliono and Alasdair Howell were performing.
Founded in 2008, the Foundation focuses on music education for today’s youths, aiming to educate, inspire and motivate the next generation of classical music lovers and performers. Music performance is promoted at all levels as a means of social development for youth, building self-confidence and a drive for excellence.
We caught up with two protégés from the Lang Lang International Music Foundation™ who will be playing in this concert to find out what performing with Lang Lang at the Royal Albert Hall means to them:
GEORGE HARLIONO (15)
George has been playing the piano since the age of six. At the age of nine he was invited to perform his first one hour long, solo recital, and since then has performed in numerous locations both in the UK and Europe, including Wigmore Hall and two performances at The Royal Festival Hall, one of which was with Lang Lang. He has won many awards both in the UK and internationally, and has recently completed his first solo recording at The South Bank.
Where are you from?: Cambridgeshire
Where are you studying?: Royal Academy of Music
What you love about the Lang Lang Foundation?: Being a pianist can be quite a solitary thing, and getting together with other pianists is really enjoyable and also makes you realize there are other people who love music as much as I do. I have made some great friends through the Lang Lang Foundation.
What makes Lang Lang such an inspiration for so many young musicians?: Lang Lang makes music fun and interesting. To me, he is like a classical pop star, a real inspiration of who you can be if you really love to perform. I love the way he breaks the rules sometimes.
How you feel about playing alongside Lang Lang at the Royal Albert Hall?: It is a great honor for me to perform at the Royal Albert Hall alongside a pianist as accomplished and well known as Lang Lang. Actually I am still in shock about being asked to perform with him, the fact that he remembered me shows what a caring and down to earth person he is. It took me about a week after I was told about the concert before I really believed it was going to happen, at first I thought my mum was joking with me, I always watch the Proms on TV but I never thought I would actually be chosen to perform here myself.
ALASDAIR HOWELL (11)
Alasdair made his Royal Albert Hall debut at the age of just six, when he performed a solo piano piece in the Lang Lang Inspires “101 Pianists™” concert. The following year, in 2012, he was the youngest member of the fifty strong ‘piano orchestra’ which performed at the O2 World arena in Berlin to celebrate Lang Lang’s thirtieth birthday. Featured in the CNN documentary ‘Ones to Watch’, where Lang Lang nominated potential future stars of classical music, Alasdair is a star on the rise!
Where you are from?: South London
Where you are studying?: Dulwich College Junior School and Guildhall School of Music and Dance Junior Department
What you love about the Lang Lang Foundation?: That it gives me opportunities to go to interesting places and to meet and perform with other young pianists.
How you feel about playing alongside Lang Lang at the Royal Albert Hall?: Happy and excited!
Whether you’re a keen young pianist, or have a child developing a burning passion for classical music, then Exploring the Piano with Lang Lang promises to be a fascinating musical experience presented by one of the world’s most renowned musicians.
